


Return

by Teatime86



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Canon Divergence, Captain Pan, Emma Swan Bashing, M/M, Smut, alt season 3b, and he's not rumple's father, captainswan bashing, lots of character deaths, my version of the black fairy, new Dark Curse, no wicked witch, peter pan didn't really die in 3x11
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-11
Updated: 2016-06-29
Packaged: 2018-07-14 09:15:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 75,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7165145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Teatime86/pseuds/Teatime86
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Careful. He may look like a boy, but he's a bloody demon"-After the curse gets rid of Storybrooke and everyone goes back to where they came from, the characters forgot one very important thing. Demons always come back-this time is no exception. AU after 3x11.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, because Once Upon a Time RUINED my life by killing BOTH Peter Pan and Rumplestiltskin, I decided to write this fic to console myself. It will start from the end of episode 3x11 when Emma and Henry are chilling in New York and then the rest will be all my creation of what happens next. All my fave characters will show up and well, I dunno if I'll include others. Maybe. Disclaimer:I don't own anything except the plot. My invention and machinations. Yeah.

Title:Return

Authoress:teatime86

Rating:M

Summary:AU post 3x11. After the curse took away all of their memories of Storybrooke and Neverland, the Saviour and her family forgot one very important thing. Peter Pan never fails.

Warnings:violence, dark themes, gore, blood, possibly slash and suggestive themes and...I'll come up with others later on.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
"You forgot something, Mom,"Henry pointed out, jerking his chin at the mug of hot chocolate his mother had just set down in front of him. Emma smiled when she realized what he was talking about. "Right, cinnamon,"she remembered, picking up a plastic shaker filled with the aforementioned copper powder and handing it to her son. He took it from her with a grin of his own, turning it upside down and shaking it over his drink before setting it back down on the table. Emma did the same and they clinked their twin mugs together cheerfully before starting to eat. This was their morning routine;tried, true, and normal.

*

On the roof outside their window, two boys stood watching the mother and son with similarly unreadable expressions.

The shorter of the two had his dark blonde hair tucked behind his ears and it had the appearance of being slightly gelled;a sharp compliment to his Stygian eyes that seemed to be constantly changing colours. His taller companion's features were shadowed by a large tan hood and his lanky, yellowing fringe.

Both appeared woefully out of place in mottled cloaks and flannel scarves wrapped around their necks, in spite of the mid-morning heat. The shorter's cloak was covered with different-coloured patches and looked about two sizes too big for him;the hem reached just past his knees.

"So you brought me back just to see the full extent of your failure?"the taller questioned in a dry tone, hefting a wooden club over his shoulder. His voice betrayed none of the exasperation he was currently feeling.

The other let out a mirthless snicker at his droll manner. "I brought you back, Felix, because I still need you,"he stated matter-of-factly, voice coming out as a heavy British drawl. His fingers rolled between them a jagged white dagger with a black handle as his smouldering eyes remained focused on the open window.

"Their memories are gone now, so they won't see coming what I have planned next,"he declared, upper lip curling into a sneer that looked even more sinister on his youthful features than it would on those of a full-grown man. The corners of Felix's mouth quirked slightly at his next words: "They didn't learn their lesson the first time. Even in death, Peter Pan never fails,"

*

" _Pan never fails."_

Those words floated in through the window and reached Emma's ears, instantly drawing her attention. But when she looked in the direction the voice had come from, there was nothing but an empty rooftop.

"Mom?Is everything all right?"Henry's voice broke into her temporary reverie, sounding concerned. She whipped her head back around to look at him. "Yeah, Henry,"she replied in as reassuring a tone as she could muster, "Everything's fine,"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just thought i'd add that this story was originally published on fanfiction.net in dec 2013

**~Flashback~**

" _Careful. He may look like a boy, but he's a bloody demon."_

_Emma blinked at that comment, stopping in her tracks to shoot him a swift, searching glance. "You mean that figuratively, don't you?"she questioned shrewdly, arching a light blonde eyebrow._

_The dark-haired pirate stopped as well and shook his head grimly._

" _Unfortunately, no,"he said, eyes glimmering enigmatically, "I mean it quite literally. Pan is a demon-one of the deadliest I've ever met in my life."_

_He paused a moment, trying to think of the best way to articulate exactly how dangerous the enemy they were facing was. After several moments, he finally came up with the appropriate phrasing._

" _Imagine the worst horror you can think of. Then multiply it by about a thousand. That's what his island is going to put you through-that's what you're going to have to face if you make an enemy out of him."_

_The Saviour narrowed her slightly flinty aquamarine eyes at his carefully neutral tone. "It sounds almost as if you admire him,"she commented, obviously attempting to keep any accusation out of her voice. Hook_ was _here to help them, after all._

" _Not admiration, Swan, just...I have experience with our enemy,"Hook corrected her, shrugging his shoulders offhandedly. He met her suspicious gaze without flinching. "And if you really want to get your boy back, you need to know what you're up against."_

_Regina, at Emma's back, let out a small noise of evident derision. "A demon? Please,"the Evil Queen scoffed disparagingly, cracking her knuckles in what was probably supposed to be a threatening manner, "How much trouble could one teenage boy be?"_

" _Regina, maybe you shouldn't-"Mary Margaret started to discourage her, but Hook interrupted,"It's quite all right. The Queen can believe what she wants-but you'll all see what I mean soon enough. Pan is much, much more than just any teenager, and you'd be a fool to underestimate him,"_

_Emma held up a placating hand. "Well, let's just worry about finding Pan-and then we can decide how much of a threat he really is,"she offered a hasty compromise to get them moving and back on track._

_The rag-tag group all seemed to agree with that and followed the Saviour out of the clearing. Emma, though, couldn't seem to get Hook's words out of her head. She waited until Regina and her parents were ahead of her then she pulled the leather-clad pirate aside._

" _You know Pan better than any of us do, right?"she asked out of the corner of her mouth, attempting to maintain her composure. The pirate inclined his head, "Besides the Dark One, yeah, I daresay I do,"_

_Emma inhaled deeply. "Then tell me more about him. I need to know,"she pressed him insistently for more information, "You say he's a demon? I want to know exactly what that means,"_

_The pirate stared back at her, seeing nothing but conviction on her vaguely flushed face. He considered for a moment, then held out his palm-and hook-in a gesture of surrender. "Just remember you asked for it,"he warned before complying with her demand._

" _When I said he was a demon, I was just being kind. The truth is,''demon'' is a compliment,"Hook told the Saviour softly, voice thoughtful. "Not even a demon would be as power-hungry, or as ruthless as Peter Pan."_

_The Saviour didn't want to believe what he was saying;she didn't want to believe that her son was really in the hands of someone so terrible. In lieu of any other options, though, she didn't really have any choice but to take the pirate at his word._

_She took a deep, measured breath. "So what do you propose we do, then?"she queried curiously, clenching her hand over the sword Hook had given her to stop it from trembling-the sword that used to belong to Neal, "He's got to have some weakness, hasn't he?"_

_Her companion gave a heavy, helpless sigh. "No, he hasn't. Or, at least, none that I can think of,"he replied bleakly, pulling out his hip-flask and offering it to her in a conciliatory manner._

_He truly wished that he was exaggerating, but there was no getting around it. Pan really was a demon-and crossing him was just about the dumbest thing you could do. Yet, here he was, doing just that._

* * *

**Present Day**

Captain Killian Jones, aka "Hook", stood behind the helm of his ship, the _Jolly Roger_ , staring out at the black sea, stretching out in front of him. In the middle of the night, while the stars were shrouded by dark clouds, it appeared almost opaque and it was impossible to see beneath the surface-but that wasn't the pirate's concern.

He still remembered the last year;from aligning himself with the Evil Queen's mother to get his revenge on the Dark One to arriving in Storybrooke and falling in love with the Saviour. Worst of all, he remembered what had brought him back home;the Dark curse Pan had enacted and the Evil Queen had tried to stop after Pan's death. It was supposed to have taken his memories, but he still had them- _all_ of them.

"I wanted you to keep them."

Hook was startled out of his trance by a familiar British accent. He turned around warily and found himself face-to-face with the villain who had ripped him and Emma apart.

"You,"he stated in horror, "You were dead." He didn't bother with any pleasantries;there really was no need for them at this point.

The blonde teen standing behind him gave him a cocky, white-toothed grin. "Come on now, Captain. You knew me better than they did. Did you really think it was over?"he chided mockingly, dark eyes gleaming with childish amusement.

The pirate refrained from grimacing with an extreme effort. "A pirate can always hope,"he muttered grimly, clenching his fist. He let out a vaguely exaggerated sigh. "So what are you doing  _here_?Shouldn't you be back in Neverland, building up your army again?"

Peter's smile flickered briefly at the mention of his Lost Boys, but in a second, it was firmly back in place. "That won't be a problem,"he dismissed the quip flippantly, "What will be is _you_."

"Me?"Hook quoted, arching a puzzled eyebrow. "Why, because I still remember what you did?I thought you wanted me to," "Oh, I did,"Pan confirmed maliciously, dark eyes glimmering beneath his gold lashes, "I wanted you to remember everything-just not the same way it was,"

A frown of consternation wrinkled the Captain's forehead. "What is that supposed to mean?"he questioned suspiciously, hand subtly shifting to grip the handle of his cutlass.

The former leader of the Lost Boys suddenly appeared right in front of him, standing close so that they were nearly nose-to-nose. "I"m going to offer you my deal a second time, Captain,"he stated, deliberately ignoring his question. His smile turned crooked. "Only this time, if you don't take my deal, Emma will be the one to suffer the consequences."

Hook probably should have felt more enraged;after all, Pan was threatening the woman he-might-have loved. Pan was definitely _expecting_ him to be furious, so he acted exactly the opposite. "And what if I'm still not interested?"he shot back with an air of feigned calm.

He could tell that the blonde boy didn't buy it, though-and he called his bluff. "Like I've said before, I like action-and it seems to me that you respond best to it, so let me put it in plainer terms for you. You have twenty-four hours to make your decision-or the oblivious Saviour won't be saving anyone ever again,"

"You mean you'll kill her,"the pirate surmised with a surprising amount of venom. Pan snickered darkly. "Oh no, not me personally-but I can't speak for my new friends,"he defended carelessly, not bothering to hide his delight.

The _Jolly Roger_ 's captain had to force himself not to recoil when Pan's breath rushed heatedly past his left ear. "Twenty-four hours, Killian, and that's all,"the immortal intoned softly, "Tick tock,"

He vanished after that elegant parting sentence, as seamlessly as if he had never been there at all.

Once he was gone, Hook let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. He let his hand drop form the handle of his sword and exhaled a second time.

As unlikely as it had seemed, he really should have seen this coming. After all the time he'd spent with the villain, he really should have known that Pan was still alive. He was a true demon-and demons always found a way of coming back.

Now he only had a day to make a life-changing decision:make a deal with the Devil-or sacrifice Emma Swan. It seemed his usually foolproof survival instincts were failing him miserably these days.

* * *

**New York City, New York**

Emma walked Henry down to the lobby of their apartment building, carrying his school bag in one hand and a steaming thermos full of coffee in the other. Another part of their morning routine;bringing her son down to catch the bus to take him to school.

As she traipsed through the lobby, her mind was filled with memories of the last ten years, from changing her mind about giving her son up to moving to New York and deciding to raise him here. Henry was her whole world:she hadn't even allowed herself to get a boyfriend for fear of losing even a single moment with him.

The last ten years of her life, _their_ life had been good, though. She had been happy taking care of Henry and putting him first,and she'd never regretted her decision to keep him once.

Every morning had been a good one since she'd had Henry;but somehow, this one was different. For some reason, she just couldn't seem to shake the feeling that, somewhere, somehow, there was danger coming-and it was coming for Henry.

If there was one thing she'd learned in being a mother, it was that, when it came to her child's safety, she should _always_ trust her instincts.

When they reached the glass-paned door, the brown-haired boy held out a hand expectantly for his backpack. "I'm going to be late, Mom,"he urged her when she didn't immediately hand it over.

His mother started at the sound of his voice, as if being woken from a trance or something. "Right, sorry,"she said, hastily giving Henry the pack without any further ado.

As the boy pulled the straps over his shoulders, he cast his mother a carefully assessing glance. "Are you sure you're okay, Mom?You've been acting weird all morning,"he pointed out, forehead creasing in a worried expression..

Emma's brow furrowed at the care in her son's tone. Unbelievable:she was feeling like he was in danger and _he_ was worried about _her._

She lowered herself down to his eye level, gripping his shoulders tightly. "No, I'm not okay, Henry,"she admitted quietly, glancing around her warily, "I've been getting this sketchy sensation and I want you to be careful, all right?Something just isn't right today,"

Henry nodded his understanding of her words. "Of course I'll be careful,"he reassured her honestly, squeezing her hand on his shoulder, "But you're going to have to explain this better when I get home,"

Emma chuckled lightly at his lackadaisical tone and pulled him into a hug. "I love you, kid,"she whispered, kissing the top of his head affectionately.

"I love you, too,"Henry replied before gently extricating himself from her embrace, "But I have to get to school," He blew her a quick kiss before running out to catch his bus.

Just as he was walking out of the door, though, he felt an odd prickling sensation at the back of his neck, almost as if he was being watched. He stopped on the bottom step of the entrance to the school bus and swept a scrutinizing look around him.

When his eyes fell on the roof of the building next to his and Emma's apartment, he had to blink to make sure that they were working properly. For a moment there, he could have sworn that he'd seen a boy standing there-but that couldn't have been real.

Shaking himself, he climbed the rest of the way into the bus and sat down, rubbing his eyes. There couldn't have been a boy standing on the roof, he told himself firmly, Because there was no way anyone could have gotten up there.

Was there?

* * *

With the New York sun rising behind him, the title "demon" really did seem to do the first Lost Boy justice.

His eyes appeared to darken to the point of resembling molten metal, simmering under the row of translucent gold lashes. Also, his skin seemed to shimmer, exposing the reality of just how inhuman he really was.

As he watched the Truest Believer exit the apartment he shared with his birth mother, a truly bestial smirk curved the corners of his full lips. He had become so complacent in his ignorance. He had no idea just how abnormal his life was about to become.

Casting a smug look over his shoulder at the hooded Felix who still stood at his side, he uttered the two words that had really begun everything:

_"Let's play."_


	3. Chapter 3

**The Enchanted Forest...**

_From out of nowhere, clouds of green smoke began to fill the air. All around the fairy tale land, people began to panic. They all thought another curse was upon them and, after what the first one had done,they didn't want to find out what this one would._

_Fortunately for them, when the mist had dissipated, there was no new carnage, no raging inferno and they all still possessed their memories. What the smoke revealed instead was a group of mixed men and women. A group of very familiar men and women._

Snow blinked her aquamarine eyes as she gradually awoke from the depths of unconsciousness. She felt cold, hard earth under face;more than that, she tasted dirt, not asphalt. She was definitely not in Storybrooke anymore.

She carefully pulled herself to her feet, brushing back tendrils of her long, dark hair-wait, long?She cast a look at her shoulders and found curtains of black curls hanging over them:her hair was indeed long again. But that wasn't all that had changed.

When she looked down at her body, she wasn't wearing her modern clothes anymore. Instead, she was clad in the same clothes she'd worn before taking the throne:a white tunic, cloak, boots, breeches and gloves. Everything left from her time in the human world was gone-except for her memories.

Behind her, she heard the distinct sounds of someone else stirring. Inhaling deeply, she turned around to find out who it was.

Her husband, Prince Charming-David Nolan, to those back in the human world-was getting to his feet as well, dusting off the front of his pants. He, too was once again dressed in his fairy-tale garb;no more jeans and flannel shirts for him.

Around them, the rest of their friends from Storybrooke, the Dwarves, Baelfire, Ariel, Red, Eric, Granny, Belle and even Regina, were all awakening from their curse-induced slumber and pulling themselves back into standing positions. Small consolation:at least she wasn't alone.

Seeing his wife, Charming came to stand at her side while the others slowly regained their bearings. Snow was casting her gaze over their surroundings:she saw trees and a familiar archway and the acid smoke still hung in the air.

Seeing all of these things again and adding to the fact that they were all back in their Enchanted Forest clothes, the Princess could only draw one conclusion.

"We're back,"she broke the tense silence with a vain attempt at concealing the tremble in her voice.

Charming placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "At least we're safe from Pan,"he told her in a conciliatory tone, squeezing her gently, "At least he's gone now and Emma and Henry are okay-"

"That's not, strictly speaking true,"a frigid Irish accent punctuated the air-an accent that also gave her a strange jolt of recognition.

Suddenly, the smoke cleared entirely and the Charmings and company found themselves surrounded by familiar brown-cloaked figures. But that wasn't the biggest shock. No, the biggest shock was seeing who was leading them.

He stepped out of the shadows and into their sight line. Snow's eyes went wide when she saw that he was wearing the exact same clothes he had been the last time she'd seen him-the same clothes he'd been wearing when he died.

"Graham?"she quipped with equal amounts of shock and disbelief at looking into the eyes of the late Sheriff of Storybrooke. There was no mistake:she was looking at the Huntsman-only he no longer looked like the same man she'd known.

There was a darkness in his smoky blue orbs now, a maliciousness that had definitely never been there before. Something had drastically changed in him.Snow just wasn't sure what yet.

"Graham, what are you doing here?More importantly, _how_ are you here?"the prince queried incredulously, taking over because his wife was obviously too speechless to say another word. He understood that:even in the Enchanted Forest, people coming back from the dead wasn't exactly a regular occurrence, especially not people who had died in the mortal world.

The Huntsman took a slow, almost languid step toward him, appearing deceptively nonthreatening with his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. Charming wasn't taking any chances, though:the minute he came too close, the prince drew his sword warningly. "Not another step until you answer my question,"David intoned firmly, stepping defensively in front of his wife.

Graham chuckled lowly, backing up with his palms raised in a gesture of mock surrender and a faint smile curving his lips.

"I'm afraid, Your Majesties, that you've been away a little too long to still have the authority to be giving orders around here," His smile turned crooked, "As for what I'm doing here, we were told to expect you back-" "Who is ''we''?Who are these people?"Mary Margaret cut him off, apparently finding her voice again in time to join in the interrogation.

Graham clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "You mean you don't recognize them?"he swept his hand in the direction of his cloaked companions with another mirthless laugh, "That's a shame, because they've been so looking forward to seeing you,"

"Tell us who they are,"the prince hissed forcefully, invading Graham's personal space and pressing the point of his sword against his throat threateningly.

The former Sheriff grinned winningly, showing his vaguely canine teeth. "Meet the new Lost Boys,"he whispered. He snapped his fingers at his companions, "Take them,"

In a second, the cloaked band of boys were on the new arrivals. They were roughly seized from all sides with no chance of fighting back-not that they didn't try, of course.

There was a loud clatter as David's sword was wrested from his hand and it fell to the ground at Graham's feet as he was dragged bodily away from the taller male to join his now captive friends and family. He huffed angrily, trying to wrench himself away from his holders, but their grip was too strong and his struggles came to no avail.

The Huntsman picked his sword up off of the dirt and rested it casually against his right shoulder before addressing the Lost Boys, "You know what to do with them," He turned on his heel and began to walk away-but then, as if suddenly remembering something, he halted and called over his shoulder.

"Oh, and Peter Pan sends his regards,"he uttered the absolute last words they wanted to hear, leaving the thinly veiled assumption hanging in the air as they were all taken away from their landing site.

* * *

**The Remains of Storybrooke...**

_The ground was, as far as the eye could see, scorched;streaked with black and littered with little piles of ashes and cinders. Looking around, you'd never guess that a town had once stood in this vast stretch of open road-but one had._

_This was where the town of Storybrooke, Maine had once stood._

_A lone boy was stationed amidst the charred ruins, face covered by the hood of his pied, patched cloak. Darkness surrounded him like a shroud, adding the aura of the supernatural to the abyss._

_Black fog swirled in a dark funnel next to him, and, with a bright flash, it morphed into a column of copper flames. The resultant glow illuminated the dark night and the empty streets and the desolate foliage on the outskirts of the square._

_Into the darkness, the cloaked boy spoke, lilting British accent issuing out from underneath his hood, shaping words that definitely did not belong to this modern age. And then, from within his cloak, he withdrew a wooden pipe and began to play._

_The fire roiled and spread and burned even brighter as each sepulchral note pierced the night air, ringing out clearly in the dead silence. The black mist lightened into a virulent acid green and began to trail out of the boy's pipe, cascading into the sky above-and the ground below._

_A single thin, jade tendril found its way to where the well had once been and vanished into the center of the remaining obsidian ring on the asphalt. Cracks began to appear in the ground, accompanied by crimson tracery that bore an uncanny resemblance to the colour of blood._

_As the piper continued to play, the music increased in volume and the crimson cracks widened, as if prompted. When the music reached a crescendo, the ground split in two, opening into a giant, neverending cavern._

_The green smoke rose from within the aperture and began to take on corporeal form. Long, muscled arms and legs, a pale face with a single scar on one side, its tall form wrapped entirely in a mottled brown cloak with a tattered hood that covered nearly half his face when he lowered his head._

_When the shadows and smoke had fully coalesced into that familiar male figure, the piper halted his playing and cast a look around at the eight boys who had gathered around the roaring fire._

_A satisfied smirk curled his pink lips. Air rushed as he reappeared before the boy who he had conjured from the mist. He pushed back his auburn hood and greeted the taller cordially:_

" _Welcome back, Felix."_

_The still-hooded figure drew himself up to his full height, a wooden club materializing out of the smoke into his hand, before focusing his full attention on his former leader. "Pan,"he returned the greeting with his usual lack of emotion. His eyes roamed critically over their companions, "I see the traitors are being replaced,"_

_Pan inclined his dark blonde head in an affirmative._

" _The Dark One, the Evil Queen and the Saviour took away my family and my victory. So, now I figure, it's time for me to do the same to them,"he declared maliciously, eyes gleaming brightly with the reflected firelight._

_His subordinate gave a low, sinister chuckle that seemed to agree wholly with that sentiment-but that didn't appear to be enough because Pan's next question was: "What about you, Felix? Do I have to start looking for your replacement, too?"_

_Felix's lips twitched in what appeared to be amusement at that question. "Of course not,"he scoffed as if affronted by the mere suggestion of his loyalty wavering, "You didn't really think a little thing like killing me would be enough to make me leave, did you?"_

" _No,"the shorter boy commented carelessly, a single corner of his mouth lifting at the clear offense in his companion's tone._

_While the two former Lost Boys conversed, the others continued to dance wildly around the fire, reminiscent of the originals. They were all in their nightclothes, faces illuminated by the orange glow._

" _So what's the plan this time?"Felix questioned curiously, resting his club on the ridge of his shoulder while he waited for an answer._

_Pan's slight smirk evolved into a fully-fledged smirk that looked all the more twisted on his deceptively youthful features._

" _This time, the game is on a new stage;one of multiple realms,"the demon announced softly, looking up through his thin lashes. He paused briefly before continuing, "They think that just retaining their memories means that they won. Well, I'm going to make them wish that that was all I stole from them,"_

_He turned away from the roaring fire and made his way to the previous location of the town line, beckoning Felix to his side before using his powers to invade everyone's minds. His voice filled all of their heads, dark and reverberating and impossible to ignore._

" _This time, the Heart of the Truest Believer will be blackened, turned into a Dark Heart that will belong to me and only me. And when I have bent him to my will and his family comes to try and rescue him again, he will be the instrument of their demise."_

" _ **You all belong to me now**."_

_Together, he and Felix stepped over the flashing line crossing over into the real world. The town's old curse was gone. It was time to create a new one._

* * *

The _Jolly Roger_ docked just as the sun was rising over the tops of the evergreen trees. It had been quite awhile since the ship had seen these familiar waters-and its captain wasn't exactly thrilled to be back.

He'd thought it would be possible for him to find peace after he'd made the Dark One pay for what he'd done, after he'd killed Rumplestiltskin. Realistically, though, he'd known that was never going to happen-especially once Peter Pan had come into the equation.

The demon had never been what Hook would call a friend, but before, he hadn't been an enemy, either. At least, not until the pirate had made the mistake of making him one. Now the price was either going to be Emma Swan's life-or his soul.

Strangely, though, the option of just not taking Pan's deal and letting Emma die wasn't all that unattractive. It should have been:he shouldn't even have been considering it-considering he had gotten himself into this mess to try and win her over-but yet, he didn't feel that overwhelming, all-consuming need to save her over himself. To be quite honest, he hardly felt anything at all-at least, where Emma was concerned.

In a bizarre paradox, though, he found himself almost still wanting to take Pan's deal-but not to save Emma's life. Although she was _part_ of the reason:she'd said that, according to the stories of her world, _he_ was meant to be the real villain, not Pan. Thinking back to that conversation, it made him wonder what it would be like to really be the villain-to do more than simply be trying to kill someone who had been put into the hero category or just bounce from benefactor to benefactor depending on who could help him do so.

He'd briefly seen the bad guys side of things when he used to work for Pan and found that he didn't really have the taste for it. But somehow, things were different now:something had changed to make him want to give it another shot.

"So I gather you've made your decision, then."

Hook didn't even pretend to be surprised when that soft, lilting British accent broke into his thoughts, coming from the other side of his ship.

He turned around and found the demon leaning casually up against one of the wooden pillars with his thumbs hooked in his belt and one of his ankles tucked behind the other. Hook never could tell if the relaxed act was a front, or if he really was just that nonchalant about everything.

Amusement quirked at the corners of Pan's mouth when he caught the pirate staring as if trying to figure him out. "You won't, you know,"he pointed out cockily, baring his teeth in a grin.

Hook blinked at the bluntness of his tone and cocked a curious eyebrow. "Won't what, exactly?"he quipped with a frown, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You won't be able wriggle your way out of this unscathed-not like you did the last time,"the blonde boy amended what he'd originally intended to say with a falsely innocent expression on his pale features. He huffed out a quiet laugh when the pirate's other eyebrow rose to join the first. "You're caught, Captain. The question is, do you want to be in my cage-or one of your own?"

The pirate's frown only deepened at that. There was a riddle or a trap in there somewhere. Pan's deals never came without some fine print he hadn't revealed before. That was just the way things worked with something like him. Pan's games always held unseen twists-that was what made playing them so dangerous.

He let out a mirthless chuckle when he realized that that was truly what it would mean to play the villain. Always staying ten steps ahead of everyone;no apologies, no regrets, and no consideration for anyone but himself. This was exactly what he wanted to experience for himself.

He allowed his frown to dissipate, smoothing his expression into one of careful neutrality and lifting one of his leather-clad shoulders in a shrug. "You've told me what will happen if I _don't_ take your little deal, but what about if I do?What exactly is in it for me?"he questioned mildly, still giving no indication as to whether he was accepting or declining the proposal.

Pan's ever-changing eyes practically glowed with mischief. "Good point,"he agreed, pushing himself off of the pillar and taking a slow step forward, unfolding his arms as he did so.

In three strides, he'd closed the distance between them, somehow managing to stare the pirate down, even being the shorter of the two. "How about the power to cross realms without a portal?"Peter offered smilingly, but with a hint of danger. "Or a little magic to increase the ease of your tasks?"

When Hook still didn't give an answer, Pan's voice lowered into an almost hiss, " _Or how about your life_?"He snickered darkly, "It's more than someone like you deserves,"

This time, it was Hook who did the advancing, leaning forward so he could loom over the 14-in looks only-year old. "Not exactly the way to win me over, mate,"he intoned quietly, lowering his lip[s next to the boy's ear and aiming the tip of his hook at his neck. He gave another quiet, humourless chuckle. "But I'll take that magic as long as you're offering."

Pan's lips curved into a victorious smirk. "An agreement, then?"he quipped cheekily, looking up through his lashes as he pulled Hook's flask from his belt and held it up in a wordless question.

Hook stepped back, out of Pan's reach, taking the flask from him and taking a short swig after removing the cap-the equivalent of a handshake for them. He saw Pan's eyes darken at his acceptance and felt an odd sense of accomplishment-one that he couldn't explain.

Lowering the flask and tucking it back in its place, the one-handed pirate observed Pan's clearly satisfied look, at odds with the gleaming, zealous glow in his eyes. "So,"he said, breaking the silence, "You mentioned making some new friends. I don't suppose you'd tell me who they are?"

The blonde boy's smirk returned, and made Hook think of a child pulling the wings off of a butterfly. "I can show you much better than I can tell you. You'd never believe the simple words,"he suggested enigmatically, flicking his longest fingers in a beckoning gesture.

Hook joined him silently, his curiosity getting the better of him. Pan grasped his shoulder and did what he'd never thought would be possible:they crossed realms without any magic beans or anything of that sort.

They landed in what Hook assumed was the remains of Neverland. In Pan's absence, the island had fallen into complete ruin. It was strange:he'd only ever seen the place in its full glory-seeing it like this, it just didn't seem right.

As if reading his mind, his companion-the island's consummate ruler-waved a hand, coiled with magic, in front of him with a rather grandiose flourish. Hook saw a wave of thick, incorporeal liquid sweep over the land and before his eyes, the cursed island began to restore itself.

Time itself appeared to run in reverse. Fallen trees were re-erected, crushed stones were re-formed, ashes returned to their original states and charred grass and dirt grew back over the grimy Earth. Within mere seconds, the entire island was returned to its former haunting splendour.

Pan chuckled at catching sight of the wide-eyed astonishment on the pirate's stubbled face. He clicked his fingers, conjuring a faint hint of effervescent sparks. "And you thought you'd seen the full extent of my powers,"he chided mockingly before sauntering off into the jungle, leaving Hook to follow at his heels.

They wove quickly through the familiar maze of brush and foliage, Pan obviously making allowances so Hook could keep up since he was the only one who knew where they were going. Hook laughed inwardly at the series of ironies his life had become. The last time he was here, all he'd wanted was to escape from the island and Pan-and here he was, wandering back into its heart with only Pan as his guide and protection.

With the stars as their only source of light, thanks to the island's perpetual twilight, the boy led them to the previous site of his hideout, where there was a circle of lit torches waiting for them-and that wasn't the only thing, either.

Hook found himself surrounded by easily recognizable tattered brown cloaks. But the faces were definitely _un_ familiar-and there were also two very surprising ones.

Easily identifiable-and unsurprising-was Pan's right-hand man, Felix.T he other familiar face, though, was the one he was having the most difficulty believing.

As Felix took his place at Peter Pan's side, their leader hastened to introduce everyone. "Meet my new Lost Boys.The late Sheriff Graham of Storybrooke,"he gestured to the copper-haired man clad in a leather jacket, slacks and a grey button-down before doing the same to the last figure-who also happened to be the only female. "And you two already know each other, I believe."

Hook inclined his head in an affirmative. "Maleficent,"he greeted the curly-haired sorceress cordially, "Free from whatever it was the Queen did to you, I see,"

"She has me to thank for that,"Pan put in before the woman could even open her mouth, tossing her a gloating look over his shoulder before switching topics. "Now that we're all acquainted, let's get a move on, shall we?"

Without waiting for a response, the demon strolled into the center of the motley crew of villains and addressed them all. "I came back from the land of the dead to take back what was stolen from me,"he announced in a quiet, yet carrying tone, eyes filling with the menace and malignancy that Hook knew so well. "My victory, my life, my family;they stole _everything_. But now, I have the power to take it all back. And, thanks to me, so do all of you. You can take back what is rightfully yours and make the thieves who took it from you pay."

The Lost Boys cheered loudly, whooping and punching their fists in the air while Maleficent and the Huntsman demurely applauded. Amidst all of this, Hook found himself wondering how exactly Pan planned on making good on that promise.

And more importantly, how had he returned from the dead in the first place?


	4. Chapter 4

**New York City, New York**

All day, ever since he'd thought he'd seen that boy on the roof, Henry's mind had been elsewhere. He hadn't been able to pay attention during class or to his friends at recess. People had asked him repeatedly if something was wrong, but he'd said there wasn't-because truthfully, he didn't know if something _was_ wrong. Not yet, anyways.

When he returned home, his mother was waiting for him outside of their apartment, watching the road with her bottom lip caught between her teeth. Her expression changed when she saw him, though.

"Hey, kid,"she greeted him with an attempt at a smile, unfolding her arms so she could pull him into a quick one-armed embrace. "Hey,"he returned her greeting and the hug before tugging her toward the door, "So, ready to tell me what you were warning me about this morning?"

Emma's forehead creased in a guilty frown. "You're still thinking about that, huh?"she said with ill-concealed trepidation;she'd been hoping he had forgotten about her odd behaviour by now. When Henry glared back at her, she let out a sigh and lifted her shoulders in a shrug. "I don't know what else to tell you, Henry. I just had a bad feeling, that's all."

"Well, are you still having it?"Henry questioned curiously, taking her hand as they entered the elevator and she punched in the button for their floor.

Casting a brief look around to make sure no one else was getting into the elevator before the doors closed, Emma exhaled heavily, weighing her words carefully. She wanted to tell him '''no'' so that he would put it out of his mind;but she had never really been the best liar, especially when it came to Henry. He, most of all, would see right through her.

"Yes,"she admitted tensely after a moment or two's silence, shaking her blonde head, "And I can't explain it, but it just seems to be getting stronger by the minute,"

As they walked into their apartment and Emma locked the door behind them, Henry got that same feeling of being watched again. He started to understand what his mom was talking about and he turned back around to face her.

"Mom, is there any way of getting onto the roof of that building next door?"he questioned on a whim, pointing at their living room window.

Emma raised an eyebrow at his seemingly random inquiry and followed his finger to see what building he meant. "I don't think so;a fire destroyed the entire internal structure a few months ago,"she told him honestly, meeting his innocent brown eyes, "Why?"

Henry pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Because I could have sworn I saw someone up there before I got on the bus this morning,"he explained, keen to just forget about it now.

But something about the way his mom's expression changed again gave him pause. She looked almost...scared.

Henry blinked in bemusement. That didn't make sense. He was pretty sure he'd never seen his mom look like that before:she'd never had a reason to, as far as he could remember.

So what were these fragmented memories that were suddenly streaming through his head like film on fast-forward?

Disjointed images swam before his eyes, images of a dense forest with gnarled trees and thorns dripping with poison that could kill with a single touch. Holding his own heart in his hand, the organ thrumming with power.

_The heart of the Truest Believer_

He could hear his mother talking to him, but he could also hear another voice. A male voice with a refined British accent;a deceptively earnest, youthful voice.

There were flashes of windswept dark blonde hair. A tattered green tunic, and a pair of Stygian, ever-changing eyes. Eyes that were sometimes blue like the sea after a storm, sometimes green like roiling acid. And other times black as night, so looking into them was like staring into a swirling abyss.

_You need to give me your heart, Henry_

"Henry!"his mom's voice finally shattered the spell and Henry found himself staring into her pale face contorted into an obviously concerned expression.

He let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and shook Emma''s hand off of his shoulder. "It's fine, Mom. I'm fine,"he reassured her breathlessly, trying to sound as though he meant it.

Emma shot him a disbelieving look. "What happened?"she pressed him insistently, crossing her arms over his chest. She didn't believe him for a second.

Henry sighed. "I just...got lost in my mind for a second there,"he confessed carefully. That was at least true;but what he didn't say was that the face that had just appeared in his mind, the one that sent shivers down his spine, the one that looked so familiar, well, he was pretty sure it was the same face he had seen watching him that very morning.

_You can hear the music now, can't you, Henry?_

As if drawn to it, Henry cast a glance outside their window at the roof of the derelict building, searching for, well, he didn't really know what. This time, though, there really was nothing there.

The roof was deserted-as well it should be.

_The game is about to get...interesting._

* * *

**Storybrooke, Maine**

_The two boys were poised at the edge of the cursed town, overlooking it with bland, insipid eyes._

_They made a rather odd pair:the short brunette clad in jeans, a plaid button down and navy blue coat, and the taller in a grimy black cloak and tights. It was almost as if they were a study in contrast._

" _A curse?"the blonde broke the silence with his sceptical drawl as his companion unrolled the small scroll in his hands. "No, Felix,_ the _curse,"the other corrected him, "The curse that tore every one from the Enchanted Forest and dropped them here,"_

_Felix shot him a dry look over his shoulder. "You broke me out of jail to tell me how everyone got to this town?"he quipped, arching one of his dirty blonde eyebrows._

" _I broke you out of jail because this spell is going to give us everything we've always wanted,"the brown-haired boy declared with a malevolence that belied his youthful features. He turned back to Felix, "Everyone will forget who they are. Time will stand still. And, Felix, we will be in charge,"_

" _Of this whole place,"Felix surmised with a cruel grin. His companion inclined his head. "Yes,"he confirmed, "And when we're done with it, it's going to be the New Neverland,"_

Pan was once again in that exact same spot. Only this time, he was alone-and instead of overlooking an entire town, he was gazing down at a wasteland. The Dark Curse had done everything he'd expected it to, except for what he'd really wanted. He hadn't been around to reap the rewards, so its effects were irrelevant.

But he had another chance now-another opportunity to make the former inhabitants of Storybrooke pay for ever daring to challenge him. He had a new Dark Curse, one that was created especially for him-and one that couldn't be stopped.

It wasn't going to be easy, of course;but Peter Pan had never let that stop him before. He had survived a wound from the only weapon that was supposed to be able to kill him-he could achieve this.

He'd explained to Felix the particulars needed to enact his curse, but not the specifics. He only needed to focus on the requirements at the moment.

The Truest Believer's blackened heart.

An Honourable Man spilling blood on human soil.

The return of a soul from the land of the dead.

And, perhaps most daunting of all, the death of the greatest of light.

A cold smile curled the demon boy's pink lips. He wasn't about to let something as trivial as the difficulty of the task stop him from undertaking it. He'd been waiting for this a long time;he could wait a little longer.

He had one of the requirements already, and he had plenty of time to accumulate the others. After all, his game was only just beginning:the final pieces still had to be put in place.

He knew what he had to do next.

* * *

**The Enchanted Forest**

The Lost Boys took their prisoners to a familiar location:Rumplestiltskin's cell underneath the remains of the Charmings's palace. They were lead inside in complete darkness and the gate clicked shut behind them.

The princess and the Queen and their companions put up a valiant fight, but it came to no avail. The new Lost Boys appeared strong enough to withstand even Regina's magic.None of her spells seemed to have even the slightest effect on them.

"Enjoy your stay,"their commander, Felix, commented snidely as he pulled the key out of the enchanted lock with a caustic smirk.

David launched himself at the shimmering bars, intent on making a scathing retort, but a sneering female voice cut him off just as he opened his mouth.

"Oh, I'll ensure that they do so, Felix."

The two torches the Lost boys at either side of the dungeon carried were instantly snuffed out as a shadow detached itself from the far wall and began to saunter toward the prisoners.

It was a woman, that much was obvious. But, in the sudden darkness, she was practically invisible. The only discernible aspects of her form were a voluminous emerald cloak and a winged obsidian mask that surrounded her eyes and almost completely covered her nose. Combined, those two things did not pose a very reassuring image.

The prince backed up slowly as the woman continued to advance, stopping only once she was close enough to wrap a single black-gloved hand around one of the iron rods encasing the cell. David attempted to see her eyes once she was near, but without any light, all he saw was swirling blackness.

The woman observed them all individually in silence for a full minute, eyes gleaming malevolently when she focused on the Evil Queen and the forced lack of fear on her pale face. Then she spoke again.

"This is the woman who managed to thwart Pan's plan to take the heart of the Truest Believer?"the stranger quipped disdainfully, not bothering to hide her distaste. She clicked her tongue reprovingly, "He could have chosen _much_ better,"

It was Regina's turn to throw herself at the bars in a futile attempt to intimidate their visitor.

"Who are _you?_ "the Queen spat, hand shooting out to wrap around the stranger's throat in what was evidently supposed to be a threatening manner.

The other woman let out a chilly laugh, easily trapping Regina's wrist before her hand could reach its destination, as if she were merely swatting a fly.

"You aren't a queen here, or anywhere else, anymore, _Regina_ ,"the stranger emphasized her name in a way that made it sound like an insult. "You don't command anyone-least of all, me,"

The _former_ queen feigned indifference to the unconcealed mirth with which those words were spoken. She pretended that she hadn't been cowed by their cold, hard truth.

"Fine, you won't tell us who you are. Is there a reason why you're here? Or did you just come to chat?"she retorted in as composed a tone as she could muster, faking boredom.

The masked girl gave a second-and, if possible, colder-snicker at the dry quip, amused by the ill-concealed curiosity behind it.

"I came here to see who else I was going to have to punish for Pan's defeat-besides the Saviour,"she replied laconically.

"The Evil Queen, Snow White and Prince Charming,"Her tone gave their titles the sound of derogatory pet names, instead of names to be feared and worshipped. She shook her head, "I've gotta say, I'm disappointed. I was expecting, at the very least, a group of intrepid warriors and sorcerers;but instead, I find a disgraced princess, an over-the-hill former farm boy and a dethroned, powerless scarlet woman playing at magic. Pan could really use a lesson at picking more fitting opponents,"

"What do you know of us and Pan?"Snow challenged guardedly, gripping her husband's hand tightly for support. Who was this woman who seemed to know everything about them, who so obviously abhorred them and everything they were?

She just barely caught sight of a dark smile curling the stranger's smooth skin-toned lips.

"Oh, I know a lot more than you think,"the latter said enigmatically, "That is to say, I know everything about you and the demon boy. In fact, I daresay I know a few things about Peter Pan that you don't,"

"Do you know that he's dead?"the prince finally mustered up the courage to pipe up again, trying-but failing-to keep the slight tremble out of his voice. "We got rid of him just before his curse sent us all out of Storybrooke,"

The masked woman shook her head a second time, smile widening as though she were amused by Charming's statement.

"Apparently, you could use a lesson of your own,"she observed smoothly, much to David's chagrin, "Though this one you really should have learned already;Peter Pan never-"

"Never fails,"Regina finished witheringly, rolling her eyes as if the topic were old hat, "Yes, we've heard. Many times. And I still haven't seen evidence of that being even remotely true;it seems to me like all he ever does is fail-"

"Oh?"the other woman cut her off again. "And what makes you so sure that this all isn't exactly what he wanted from the beginning?What makes you think that having you all think he's dead isn't just a part of his plan?"

A frown wrinkled Baelfire's forehead as he joined in the conversation and made his way to the front of the group so he could try to get a better look at the woman who was saying such poisonous things. "So, what, are you saying he _let_ my father kill him?"the Dark One's son queried, suddenly aware of the very real possibility of that being the truth.

He felt a cold finger of unease brush against his spine when the stranger turned her pupilless black pools on him, that cruel smile still curving her lips. "I'm saying everyone is where Pan wants them,"she declared in a sinister whisper, "The game isn't over yet. And your son and the Saviour are most definitely still in play-even if they don't know it yet,"

She paused as if a new idea had occurred to her and she turned on her heel, adding over her shoulder, "Maybe it's time to let them know,"

"No!"Neal shouted furiously after her as she started to walk away, "You stay away from them!Hey!"He shook the bars valiantly as if they would break if he only applied enough force.

Needless to say, that didn't work.

His cries fell on emptiness, though, because the woman was already long gone. She'd done what she'd come to do, after all.

There was a new player on the board.

* * *

**Neverland**

He'd never thought he'd ever be dumb enough to set foot on this island, to return to this spot again. After what had happened the first time, he should never have returned here even just once, let alone twice.

Dead Man's Peak. It was the site of two of the most unforgettable moments of his life:it was where his brother had died of dreamshade-and where he had made the decision to save Prince Charming from the same fate.

The pirate couldn't help but notice that the cliffs looked exactly the same as the first time he'd seen them;though the dripping black thorns did appear much more foreboding underneath the night's shadows. He also couldn't help but notice that the fear he'd once had of Neverland, and this spot in particular, was slowly starting to ebb away.

Standing at the edge of the tallest cliff, Hook closed his eyes and contemplated what exactly had possessed him to come back here a third time, even after he'd once sworn never to do so again.

A ripple of wind passed through his short copper hair, ruffling it at the top of his head and pressing its cold fingers against the back of his neck. The breeze brought with it flashes of memories, of things he'd rather keep buried.

His love for Emma had been real-but, if he really looked at it, it hadn't really been love. It had just been his attempt to regain some semblance of the man he'd once been, the man he'd been before Rumplestiltskin had killed his wife right in front of him. The man he'd been before Pan.

The fact was, Pan had been the one to give him his way to kill the Dark One. He had made Killian into the villain the mortals apparently all thought him to be. And Hook had _loved_ it.

So when he'd brought the prince up here to give him the water to save his life and Pan had offered him a chance to resurrect that old arrangement, he'd been lying when he'd said he didn't miss it. He'd even considered it;having the demon invade his personal space and breathing all those insidious things about their past had only fuelled his desire to taste that power once again. He'd really only succeeded at his goals when he'd listened to Pan-and the demon knew that.

He could still feel that rush of hot breath on his cheek and hear that dark, lilting voice whispering in his ear, reminding him of his failure.

_Remember the last time you didn't listen to me?_

Pan had wanted him to kill the prince, to do exactly the opposite of what he'd gone up there to do. He'd wanted Hook to be the same monster he'd so carefully cultivated, the tool he'd so meticulously honed and sharpened once again.

_I want to see your hook inside his body_.

Now the pirate couldn't, for the life of him, remember what had possessed him not to take Pan's deal. He knew it had had something to do with whatever he'd felt for Emma, but those reasons seemed transparent now.Emma no longer seemed worth all of the trouble. All they'd shared was a kiss and it had taken him miraculously saving her father for her to give him that much:what would he had to have done to get her to give him the real time of day?

Emma really had been the catalyst for all of this, but she wasn't the real trigger for his sudden reversion to his old ways. No, the true reason was something much, much darker.

He wanted that power again, that feeling of being invincible and he knew Pan was the only one who could give him that. But more than that, he wanted to see the repugnance on his former reluctant comrades's faces turn to terror once he was once again their enemy. And this time, he wasn't going to be subdued by someone as weak and pathetically _human_ as the prince ever again.

"I thought you hated it up here, Captain,"that familiar taunting British drawl broke into his thoughts the way it always seemed to do, with some caustic remark, "But then, that's understandable, given your past with these cliffs,"

Killian turned around unhurriedly, facing the demon with a carefully neutral expression. The boy had his usual playful smirk firmly in place, as always with a hint of unconcealed malice in his swirling, ever-changing eyes as he lethargically closed the distance between them.

"So this deal of ours,"Hook replied, deliberately ignoring Pan's acerbic quip, pretending that the boy's sudden proximity didn't faze him in the slightest, "What exactly is it you want me to do?"

Pan continued to smile, obviously entertained. "Just like I said the last time, Killian, you'll be in my employ, do my dirty work,"the immortal told him matter-of-factly, reiterating almost exactly what he'd said the last time they'd had this conversation.

"What dirty work?"Hook queried flatly, arching a single eyebrow at Pan's unusually cagey manner. Usually, he loved going into all the gory details of exactly what task he wanted Hook to perform.

The demon's pink lips twisted into a truly duplicitous smile, then. He teleported behind the pirate so he could speak into his ear.

"Well, first, you're going to get a chance to see your precious Emma again,"he purred silkily, his tone eerily resembling that of a snake's hiss. Killian had to force himself not to recoil when he felt the familiar sensation of hot breath ghosting over his sensitive skin as Pan continued.

"You're going to tell her that her parents are in danger and that she is the only one who can save them-because, well, that is the truth," "She won't believe me,"Hook cut in blandly, acting as if having Pan at his back wasn't making the hair on his neck stand on end, "She doesn't remember who her parents are, thanks to your curse,"

He could almost feel the low chuckle his words elicited from the demon boy and it sent chills running down his spine.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find a way to convince her,"Pan breathed confidently, but with a hint of steel, which gave Hook the impression that there was meant to be an ''or else'' at the end of that sentence. And he could just imagine what Pan would do to him if he tried to disobey-or if, God forbid, he failed.

He turned around again and didn't flinch when he found his and Pan's noses almost touching. "And if I do?"he quipped quietly, eyes flicking toward those dark, smoky orbs.

Pan leaned his head forward until they were practically cheek-to-cheek. "You'll be taking her away from her son:emotionally, not physically. Because the only thing worse than losing your parent is having them,"he intoned cryptically, lips hovering mere centimeters away from Hook's ear now.

He tilted his head briefly to the side before finishing, "She'll be leaving little Henry to my intervention-and leaving him to fall under my grip once again,"

Hook arched his neck, catching sight of the naked venom in Pan's gleaming eyes. "And what if she refuses to believe?It took the boy almost dying for her to break the Evil Queen's curse,"

Another cold, humourless laugh huffed out of Peter's lips at the suggestion.

"If it comes to down to something like that, well, use your imagination,"the immortal said before pulling back to look at his face again, "And you'll have something all the residents of Storybrooke didn't,"

His fingers pressed against the vein in Hook's neck and the pirate felt an electric shock go through him the second those slender digits touches his skin. Sparks danced over his flesh as Pan traced the thin blue line;magic, this was the magic Pan had promised him entering his system.

"I always keep my promises, Captain,"he reminded softly, letting his fingers linger a second after the magic was finished transferring-and then, he was simply gone.

The pirate touched a hand to where Pan's fingers had been and found the patch of skin searing hot. He hastily pulled his fingers away, actually fearing being burnt.

A heavy breath fell from his lips as he felt his heart pounding in his ears. Well, he had his first task:it was time to find out if he really could return to the villain lifestyle.

Test number one:manipulating the woman he'd once thought he'd loved into abandoning her son.

It didn't occur to him until after he'd left that Pan hadn't told him where Emma even was;where the curse had dropped her and Henry.

Apparently, he had some searching to do, then.


	5. Chapter 5

" _People have always said that there is no magic powerful enough to bring back the dead._

_They were wrong."_

Peter Pan was once again poised at the crossing between the world of the living and the land of the dead. Coincidentally, though, today the opening appeared at the edge of Neverland.

He was here because there was one more piece he had to put in play-the piece that would change the game into one much more...exciting.

In his pied cloak of multicoloured patches, the boy demon edged closer to the precipice of the realms, feeling the calls of the departed echoing hauntingly in his ears. Beyond this peak was a place meant only for the truly dead. The living had no business entering there, and the dead had no business escaping. Those were the rules.

_Any rule can be broken_

From a black sheath attached to his belt, he withdrew a jagged, bone-white dagger, his fingers coiled tightly around the obsidian handle. Raising it, point down, over the swirling, smoking abyss below, he closed his eyes and called upon the darkest aspects of his magic:the power to resurrect the dead.

His velvet-like accent punctuated the air, forming a soft, lilting incantation. And then, the smoke began to rise.

It swam up the rock face in a steadily growing plume, billowing over the edge of the narrow cliff until it was in a writhing cloud in front of the boy.

Pan spun the dagger carefully between his thumb and forefinger before sinking to one knee and plunging it forcefully into the ground.

Something like a roar reverberated throughout the night and then, the smoke slowly started to coalesce into the figure of a man. The man who had tried to kill him.

He was no longer a real man, though. His smooth olive skin had been replaced with the familiar drawn, pockmarked scales:the mask of the monster.

Pulling the dagger out of the rocks, Pan lowered his hood and positioned his hand at the fringes of the remaining smoke, uttering the final word of enchantment.

" _Return._ "

The smoke vanished just like that, and the final player rose warily to his feet, slitted eyes scanning the easily recognizable terrain with a mix of confusion and fear. He had been dead-he had been at peace. So how was it that he was back here, of all places, and in his old body once again?

As if in answer to his thoughts, hot breath rushed past his ear, followed by a voice. A soft, lilting, horrifyingly familiar voice that whispered eight seemingly innocent words. But they were eight words that made their speaker's breath waver with their strength-and sent the previously dead man's world spinning violently on its axis.

" _I summon you, Rumplestiltskin._ "

"Time to come back and play...Dark One."

* * *

_He woke up to find the blonde boy kneeling in front of him, ill-concealed amusement lighting his tawny features. As Henry sat up, though, the amusement vanished and was replaced by a more neutral expression._

" _What happened?"Henry asked in a half-groan, blinking rapidly in an effort to shake off the disorientation. He felt as though he had been knocked over the head with Felix's club or something, except his head didn't really hurt._

_Pan's indulgent smile returned. "You fell asleep,"he replied matter-of-factly with one of his hands gripping his pipe and the other clasped over the arm resting on his upraised knee;the fire illuminated his face, casting a dark orange glow over his skin._

_The other boy's pale forehead wrinkled in a frown;that didn't sound right. "I did?"he quipped incredulously, squinting against the brightness of the bonfire in Neverland's perpetual twilight. Pan waved a dismissive hand, "Oh, don't worry. It was just a little cat-nap. The night's still young,"_

_There was something in his eyes, though, something that was still telling Henry not to take what he was saying at face value. His eyes were like a dark forest;it would be impossible to find anything there-especially the truth. And Henry couldn't stand lies._

_He made the decision to try and ferret out if Pan was bluffing or not. "Wait, I remember something. My dad,"he hesitated, feeling the slight pain in his chest at mentioning his father, "While I was asleep, I could have sworn I heard him calling out to me,"_

_Something like concern flitted briefly through those smoky eyes before it was replaced once again by deceptively innocent curiosity. "Really?"Pan commented, the smile on his pink lips reminding Henry of a predator that had just sighted his prey. He didn't like that look at all._

" _It must have been a dream,"he sighed forlornly, voice filling with resignation._

_One of Pan's dark blonde eyebrows crooked slightly. "How can you be sure?"he interjected, his tone making the words sound almost sinister, almost cruel._

" _Because,"Henry exhaled heavily as he struggled to get the reason out, "Because my dad's dead,"_

_He was sure he'd imagined it, but for the briefest instant, Pan's eyes appeared almost solid black. Only for a second, though-an instant later, they were back to their normal shade._

" _I'm sorry, Henry,"the Lost Boys' leader replied, sounding suitably aggrieved, "It makes sense for us to dream about the people we've lost or the things we hope for, like your father being alive or your mother coming to find you. But eventually, you'll find new things to dream about-and when you do, they'll start to come true,"_

_Henry wanted to believe that. He really did. "How do you know?"he asked hopefully after a moment's pause._

_The blonde boy grinned. "Because that's what I did,"he answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, showing his teeth, "And now you're here," He leaned in closer before switching tactics, "Neverland used to be a place where new dreams were born. You can bring that magic back, Henry. And_ we _can be your family,"_

_Henry watched him get to his feet, a strange calm coming over him. That sounded good;despite the circumstances, maybe he could learn to like Neverland._

_He copied Pan and stood as the blonde boy moved to the center of the dancing boys, speaking loudly so as to be heard over the thudding percussion beats._

" _I'd like to play a song,"he declared excitedly, "A song for our guest of honour, Henry,"_

_Patting Henry on the shoulder as the younger boy came to stand at his side, he raised his wooden pan pipe to his lips and began to play._

_When the first soft, sepulchral note reached his ears, Henry froze. He hadn't been able to hear it before-but he was hearing it now._

_Filled with a sort of youthful curiosity that he hadn't felt in years, he picked up two of the wooden sticks from the ground and joined in the dance. He didn't know why he could hear the music now, but it was impossible to ignore._

_Seeing Henry dancing, Pan lowered his pipe, an oddly satisfied gleam in his swirling onyx orbs as he called out, "You can hear the music now, can't you, Henry?"_

_Voice breathless with exhilaration and trembling with the exertion of his movement, Henry answered with an enthusiastic, "Yeah!"_

Henry tossed and turned all night while these scenes circled endlessly throughout his mind. They weren't nightmares, exactly, but they just seemed so...real. It was like they weren't simple fantasies. It was almost as if they were memories.

But that was crazy. He'd never seen that boy with the ever-changing eyes before in his life. And, more importantly, he couldn't remember ever being in the sort of jungle that he kept seeing in all of his dreams.

So why did they seem so familiar?And why did he keep seeing them every time he closed his eyes?

The dreams wouldn't stop;if anything, they gained ferocity with every passing moment. And all of them showed him and that boy in some badly lit location that was obviously outdoors.

It couldn't be real, though;in one of the images, they were inside a giant rock shaped like a skull with a large hourglass filled with golden sand in front of him. There was nowhere like that on Earth-and yet, Henry couldn't shake the feeling that he had indeed been there before.

The one thing, though, that really kept him from just writing it all of as just his overactive imagination was the boy, the one who seemed to always be present, the one with those dark, enigmatic eyes;Henry was pretty sure it was the same boy he thought he'd seen standing on the roof the other day.

The boy had been watching him:the question was, why?And, more pressing, who was he and why did he look so familiar?

* * *

**The Enchanted Forest**

It felt as though they had been trapped down there for days-though it was probably really only a day or so. Neal had been alternating between rattling the bars and trying to pick the locks while Regina threw spell after spell to try and break them out. Their efforts all came to no avail, though:the bars refused to give, no matter what they did.

Their guards, the new Lost Boys, didn't seem all that concerned;they would give them food and water and didn't do a thing to stop their escape attempts, which made the prisoners think the boys knew something they didn't or they were just overly cocky. Neither one really boded well for their captives.

Their drive to escape wasn't simply out of a desire for freedom:they had been shaken by that mysterious woman's visit-although Regina was doing an immaculate job of concealing it. The threat to their family lingered in all of their minds, along with one very terrifying question:could Peter Pan really still be alive?

As if reading their minds, a horrifyingly familiar British accent suddenly filled their ears as the speaker came around the corner.

"Are you still at it?"

Neal went rigid, dropping the wood sliver he had been using to pick the cell lock with a barely audible clatter and backing away from the bars. Words failed him as he caught sight of the one he'd aptly called ''the nastiest person he'd ever met'' sauntered up to them with an indulgent grin curling his pink lips.

Peter Pan bent down to pick up Charming's sword from the stone floor before poking it through the space in the bars and directing the point at the princess and her husband. "Haven't you realized by now?"he said in a bored tone as if dealing with particularly slow children. His smile returned before he added cockily, "Peter Pan never fails,"

A frown wrinkled Snow's ivory forehead and she advanced warily, looking as though she were seeing a ghost. Which, technically speaking, she was.

"So it _is_ true,"she stated in a horrified tone, unable to take her eyes off of the demon but hoping desperately that they were playing tricks on her, "But how? You were dead;we all saw you die. How is this possible?"

Pointed white teeth gleamed in the dimly lit dungeon as Pan's grin widened.

"Oh, I wasn't dead. Not really, anyways,"he said, still smiling but with a hint of malice, "Rumplestiltskin really should have just left well enough alone. After all, all his dagger did was make me more powerful,"

He paused. "Then again, if he hadn't tried to kill me, he would have been cursed for the rest of his life,"he mused with a quiet snicker, "Talk about a rock and a hard place. And now, the Dark One dagger is mine,"

He spun the sword in his hands and, before their eyes, it vanished and was replaced by an easily recognizable bone-white dagger with an obsidian handle. At seeing that, Neal felt a chill run down his spine.

"If you survived, what happened to my father? He sacrificed himself to get rid of you. What did you do to him?"Baelfire queried with trepidation, dreading what Pan's answer would be.

The demon's smoky emerald eyes fell on him, glinting through his row of gold lashes. "Oh, don't worry. Your father's just fine, Bae," Then his voice turned warning, "But don't be expecting him to pull off another miraculous rescue. You, of all people, should know that things like that never happen twice,"

"Are you done?"Regina cut in irritably, drawing the immortal's attention onto her.

Pan gave a quiet chuckle at her feigned indifference to his words. "How could I forget? The queen doesn't appreciate my speeches,"he commented tauntingly, cocking his head to the side like the curious child he most definitely wasn't.

He made his way over to where she was standing and leaned in so he could meet her furious gaze.

"Well, maybe you'll appreciate this,"he wrapped his free hand around one of the iron bars and declared in a venomous hiss, "Your son is still the key to my victory, _Regina,"_

The former queen launched herself toward him at the provocation. "If you dare even touch him-"she seethed, doing her best to sound intimidating instead of terrified out of her mind.

Pan saw right through it, of course, because he gave her a vicious smirk in return.

"Oh, I'm going to do much worse than that,"he intoned lowly, his youthful features giving every malicious gesture an air of the grotesque, "I'm going to make it so that he'd sooner kill any one of you than call you his family. You stole away his memories of you for me;now all I have to do is pick up the pieces-and you won't be able to do a thing to stop me,"

"If we're so powerless, why bother locking us up? Why not just leave us alone?It's not like we can get to Emma and Henry, anyway,"David challenged, gripping his wife's hand.

A slow, serpentine smile twisted the blonde boy's poisonous lips.

"Nice try, Your Highness, but baiting me into releasing you won't work,"he chastised, eyebrows arching slightly, "You see, this is about much more than your daughter and grandson. You convinced my Lost Boys to betray me and that, that has consequences. After all, cheaters never win;and now, you're paying the price for your mistake,"

"You were trying to take Henry's _heart._ What did you expect us to do, just sit back and do nothing?"Snow retorted furiously, aquamarine orbs blazing.

Pan chuckled. "Of course not,"he waved away the suggestion, knowing just how ridiculous that was, "But you really should have. Now it's too late. In trying to save your grandson, you forfeited any chance to save yourselves-and,more importantly, your daughter,"

"What are you going to do to her?"Snow shouted after him as he started to saunter away. The demon halted in his tracks to toss a final smirk at them over his shoulder.

"Oh I'm not going to do a thing, except let her know that her family is in danger. She'll take care of the rest herself when she comes to save you,"he replied, being deliberately vague.

David shook his head fiercely. "She won't come. She doesn't even remember who we are,"he retorted confidently, actually managing to convince himself that he'd gotten one over their enemy for once.

Peter killed that notion pretty fast, however. "You forget:all magic can be broken-and the memory spell on your daughter is no exception,"he wagged a finger at them reprovingly. His eyes flashed amusement. "I'll give Emma and Henry your regards,"he said, leaving them speechless.

Though he had left, his threat remained. Emma and Henry were in trouble, but they couldn't do a thing about it while they were trapped in this cell.

* * *

**New York City, New York**

The pirate was stationed outside the apartment complex, face half-hidden by a black scarf he had pulled over his face like a cowl.

This was where he had tracked the Saviour and her son, to this busy, rustling suburb that was about as different from Storybrooke as it could get. But then, coming from Boston, Emma was probably used to the city.

He knew exactly which apartment she was in and he knew she didn't leave until Henry was at school. So now came the moment of truth:could he convince her that her parents were in danger when she couldn't even remember who her parents were?

And, maybe even more daunting than that, could he lie to her face about who he was and what his intentions were?

Tugging down his scarf from the bottom half of his face and inhaling deeply, he began walking toward the front door. It was time to find out.

*

The morning had been an unusually tense one for both of them. Henry definitely bore all of the signs of a restless night and Emma was far too worried about him to be her usual cheerful self:in several ways, this morning was even worse than the previous one.

They ate their breakfast in silence, neither willing to break it and have the conversation they really should. Emma was watching Henry through her bangs, trying not to make it obvious, while the boy was staring resolutely at his bowl of cereal.

The sound of someone banging on the door suddenly punctuated the air, jolting them out of their reveries.

Emma frowned, wondering who on Earth could be at their door this early in the morning. She definitely wasn't expecting anyone.

Exchanging a quick puzzled-and slightly wary-glance with her son from across their kitchen table, she pushed back her chair back and got up to answer it. She turned off the radio and pulled open the door.

Standing behind it was a completely unfamiliar man, who looked almost unbelievably out of place. He was clad in a studded, black leather waistcoat, slacks, held up by a large silver belt buckle and steel-toed boots. Underneath the coat was a thin black button-down with the first few buttons undone to expose a wide expanse of his tawny chest and a scarf wrapped around his neck.

It wasn't his clothes, though, that made him appear out of place;well, not completely. No, the real thing that stood out about him was the fact that, in place of his left hand, there was a curved, shining silver metal hook.

When the door was no longer between them, something unidentifiable flashed through the man's blue eyes. And then he spoke.

"Swan,"he greeted her with what sounded oddly like relief. He made to enter, but she stopped him with a hand on his chest. "Do I know you?"she questioned guardedly.

The man looked wounded at her lack of recognition. "Look, I need your help. Something's happened, something terrible. Your family is in trouble,"he declared in an almost pleading voice.

Emma merely stared at him, uncomprehending. "My family is right here. Who are you?"she shot back uneasily, starting to think that the stranger might be insane or something.

"An old friend,"the man replied cryptically, giving a tiny sigh. "Look, I know you can't remember me, but you have to try."

"I don't have to do anything. I don't even know who the hell you are,,"the blonde retorted defensively and she tried to slam the door in his face, but he lodged his hook into the wood, stopping her. "My name is Killian Jones and you and I, we have a history,"he tried again, tone friendly this time, "And if you don't try to remember who you are, then everyone you care about will be in danger,"

Emma's nostrils flared at the implied threat. "Get out before I call the cops,"she intoned fiercely, trying not to let her fear show.

The stranger shook his head almost disapprovingly. "I'm afraid the law won't be of much help to you with this, love,"he stated disparagingly, "I don't think you have much choice except to listen to what I have to say,"

He'd backed her into a corner-and he knew it. She didn't really want the cops involved, to be quite honest, so, short of attacking the man-Killian, as he called himself-she was out of options.

She was about to herd him out into the hallway so they could talk without Henry hearing, but she just had to ask. "Wait, how do I know you're telling the truth and you're not just some wacko?"

The corners of Killian's mouth twitched slightly. "You'll just have to trust me,"he answered with a mischievous grin that showed just a hint of teeth.

Emma scrutinized him carefully, eyes narrowed. She'd always, for some reason, been able to tell when someone was lying to her-and this man, even though she was pretty sure she didn't know him from Adam, definitely wasn't. So she followed him into the hall, holding the door shut behind her.

"Tell me,"she commanded flatly, crossing her arms over her chest.


	6. Chapter 6

**New York City, New York**

Furtively, he wondered if Pan was watching this, watching him with the woman he'd loved, and who no longer remembered him, to make sure he did what he was told. Like he could do anything else:though he'd had the choice to decline Pan's deal, he hadn't taken it. And now it was too late to back out-though, truth be told, he hadn't really wanted to.

The Saviour stood in front of her apartment door, clearly waiting for him to explain his previous words further. He'd told her that her family was in danger. Now he had to elaborate.

"Your family has been taken somewhere only you can help them-and it isn't just them, either,"he told her in complete honesty. He wasn't lying;not really.

Emma raised her eyebrows dubiously, evidently still not really buying it. "Who took them?"she questioned dryly, still with her arms crossed over her chest.

Hook had to suppress a sigh of exasperation. He fully appreciated how difficult it must have been for Henry to convince Emma of her destiny the first time. He really hoped that _he_ wouldn't have to nearly die in order to get her to believe a second time.

Fighting to keep the irritation out of his voice, he answered, "Someone who has a score to settle. Someone who won't hesitate to kill your parents if he doesn't get what he wants," Again, which was all true. This was a lot easier than he'd thought it would be.

"Which is what?"the blonde woman pressed impatiently.

The pirate met her eyes without blinking and, with as much feeling as he could muster, said, "You,"

He saw her nostrils flare slightly and her eyes widen as she digested that, considering whether or not to believe him. Refusing to let her come to any other conclusion, he added one last thing; "You can tell if I'm lying, can't you? You know I'm not,"

Emma started at that, shaken by his words. It was true;but how did _he_ know about what Henry referred to as her ''superpower''?He couldn't-not unless he really _did_ know her and she just couldn't remember, which was more or less what he'd told her to begin with.

The thing was, though, she didn't really _want_ to believe him. Because, if he were telling the truth, then that would mean that the foreboding she'd been getting ever since the previous morning wasn't completely unfounded-and that her family really was in trouble.

That was looking more and more probable the more she thought about it.

She inhaled deeply in an attempt to settle her suddenly racing heart. "You're right,"she relented after a long pause, unfolding her arms, "You aren't lying, so I guess that means my parents really have been kidnapped. But how am I supposed to save them if I can't even remember who they are?"

*

Though Emma had gone out into the hallway to keep her conversation with the stranger out of his earshot, Henry heard every word, anyways. With his ear pressed to the front door, he heard the stranger tell Emma about her parents-Henry's grandparents-being in grave danger. More than that, though, the stranger knew about her super power. Either he really was an old friend of hers-or he was just a very thorough stalker.

When Emma asked, "How am I supposed to save my parents when I don't even remember who they are?", Henry decided it was time to put his two cents in. He pulled the door open and stepped out into the hallway, much to his mother's shock and dismay, and said forcefully, "If my grandparents really are in danger, I can help you remember,"

"Henry, have you been listening this whole time?"his mother scolded him, but she sounded more defensive than angry or offended. Henry shrugged in response. "You didn't tell me not to,"he stated matter-of-factly, sliding his hands into the pockets of his loose-fitting sweatpants.

Emma sighed and Henry turned his gaze onto the unfamiliar man standing next to her. He didn't look like any of the friends of Emma's that he had met before:in his leather and with that hook, he looked almost like a...pirate.

"Who are you?"he questioned curiously, eyebrows rising up to his hairline.

The man met his eyes and Henry had to suppress a shudder. His eyes were blue, like Emma's;but while hers were kind and slightly flinty, this man's eyes were simply...cold. There was no other way to describe them.

The coldness lasted for about a second, though, and then it melted into feigned warmth. "Killian Jones,"he replied cordially, but with an odd inflection that the boy couldn't interpret. And then, he added with surprising friendliness, "Good to see you again, Henry,"

A frown wrinkled the boy's pale forehead. "You know me?"he quipped in surprise, scrutinizing the man carefully in an attempt to discover something he recognized. It came to no avail, though;if he knew this man, he couldn't remember.

Killian gave a quiet, rueful chuckle. "I do, the same way I know your mother. You've been spelled not to remember, though, so I don't expect you to,"he said without reproach, although there was a faint hint of irritation.

Henry tilted his head to the side, frown deepening. "Spelled?"he repeated dubiously, feeling a sense of mixed confusion and excitement at the uncommon word.

"Henry, go back inside, please,"Emma didn't so much order as plead him, tossing a desperate glance at her companion in the hopes that Henry wouldn't see. Unfortunately, he did and he shook his head.

"No way,"he replied stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest in blatant defiance. Killian, despite himself, let out a second noise of amusement before speaking again, ignoring the disapproving holes Emma's eyes start boring in the back of his head, "Yes. The Evil Queen spelled both of you so that you wouldn't remember her after she broke her curse,"

"The Evil Queen-"the Saviour started to interject in a tone heavy with scepticism, but Henry steamrolled over her, determined to know more. "What Evil Queen? And why would she need to make us forget her?" He was a kid:he had no trouble believing that magic existed and that an Evil Queen had cast a spell on him.

A slow smile spread over the copper-haired man's lips at his interest. "I'll make you a deal, young sir:convince your mother to hear me out and I'll tell you-both of you- everything you want to know,"he offered evasively, hooking a thumb in his belt.

"Henry, you're going to be late for school,"Emma cut in before he could answer, pushing him back toward the door. Henry tossed her a look of stunned disbelief.

"How can you even think of school when our family is in danger?!Don't you want to know how to save them?"he asked her, gaping. Emma sighed, "We don't know that they're really in danger. Just because this man doesn't think he's lying doesn't mean he isn't,"

She looked back at Killian apologetically. "Look, I appreciate your warning, but I still have no idea who you are. So please just go;I can't be chasing after some fairy tale right now. I have a life,"

Before the one-handed man could protest, she steered Henry back into the apartment and closed the door behind them. Inhaling deeply to compose herself, she turned to Henry and pointed at his doorway, "Go get your stuff before you miss the bus,"

Henry huffed angrily, but complied. But he wasn't finished;he was going to find out who this Killian Jones was and how he knew them-with or without his mother's permission.

* * *

**The Remains of Storybrooke**

Alone, in the middle of the ruins of the small Maine town that never should have been, he thought back to how things had spiralled this far. He had been willing to die to save the people he loved, to protect his son and his grandson from the demon who had torn apart his past. He really should have known better than to think it would ever be that simple.

Everything he had done to change, to be the man that his family had wanted him to be was coming undone. Ripped apart by a single touch of Pan's sorcery. Such was the origination of his hatred.

The immortal boy hadn't always been his enemy:for a time, they had even been like brothers. That had all changed when Rumplestiltskin saw his true colours, though;when he'd seen the lengths Pan had gone to to bring him to his cursed island and turn him against everything he'd ever known and believed in.

Peter Pan was, quite literally, the most diabolical creature he had ever met. Regina had been missing something when she declared him and herself as the two most powerful practitioners of magic:Pan was far, far above them both.

And, unlike them both, there had been no great personal tragedy to fuel his desire for power. No, he had simply decided he wanted to keep his youth and didn't care what he had to do or who he had to hurt in order to achieve his goals. Peter Pan always got what he wanted-even if it wasn't instantaneous, it was at least eventual.

Pan had wanted him to become this again, to be back in his control, in his thrall. And now, here he was, in the remains of what had become his home, with all of his powers, none of the drawbacks, but also none of the authority. Pan had brought him back to life, and therefore, he effectively owned the Dark One and all of his abilities.

That should have terrified or repulsed him, but his feelings had been bound. Every minute he spent in the land of the living, he could feel emotions fighting to break free of their restraints, urging him to rebel against his new master, but Pan had locked them up tight. Not even a spell could free them now.

In retrospect, that was probably a good thing, though. With his emotions on lockdown, he wouldn't have the capacity to feel remorse over whatever Pan commanded him to do while he was unable to refuse. And he was sure whatever that was, it wouldn't be pleasant for him. Pan was vengeful that way.

What did trouble him, though, was how Pan was here in the first place. He'd killed the demon, watched him split apart before his eyes and yet, the boy had come to him, as whole and malicious as ever, with abilities the likes of which Rumplestiltskin had never witnessed before. The likes of which he had never even thought possible.

There was another, greater force at work here. Someone else was pulling the strings, or helping Pan pull them, who was even darker and more twisted than either of them had ever been. There was no one he could think of, though, who would willingly partner with Peter Pan;the immortal wasn't someone who accumulated allies through honest means. And someone with the power to resurrect the dead wouldn't be as easily duped as the vulnerable and sometimes prepubescent boys that Pan had trained to become his Lost Boys.

The question was who could it be?Who had that kind of power and was that ruthless that they would ally themselves with the likes of Peter Pan?

* * *

**New York City, New York**

"Was that man really telling the truth?About your parents being in danger, I mean?"Henry questioned his mother when he got home from school as he unpacked his bag in their kitchen. The scene in the hallway that morning had been on his mind the entire day, especially what that strange man had said about them being cursed by the Evil Queen.

Emma inhaled deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose. She'd been thinking about it for hours¸too, trying desperately to recall anything about the man who'd been at the door. "I don't know, kid,"she admitted with a helpless shrug, "He seemed to believe what he was saying, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he was telling the truth. I mean, curses and Evil Queens?Really?"

Henry turned around to look at her, arms crossed over his lanky chest. "Well, just because it doesn't sound like the truth doesn't mean it isn't,"he pointed out flatly, "I mean, come on, Mom, you've always told me how horrible it was growing up without your parents. What if this is your chance to finally meet them?You have to at least give it a chance,"

"Whoa, Henry, they gave me up. I don't think I owe them anything,"Emma defended stubbornly, shaking her head. After twenty-nine years of searching without success, she'd pretty much decided that her parents didn't want to be found and given up. She didn't want to have that belief challenged after so long. She didn't want to hope that that wasn't true and then have that hope crushed all over again.

Her son, of course, had never really believed that. He'd always said there had to be some other explanation:he would latch onto something as ridiculous as this. "Maybe this has something to do with that. Maybe part of the curse forced them to give you up to save your life or something,"Henry suggested optimistically with his typical childish hopefulness.

Emma looked at him, an indulgent smile on her flesh-coloured lips. "I know how badly you want to believe that, Henry, but you're still just a kid. And I don't want to burst your bubble, but the world is a much harsher and more difficult place than I've lead you to believe,"she told him reluctantly with a sigh, "I didn't want you to have to go through what I did. I needed you so I kept you. My parents _didn't_ want me,"

The brown-haired boy didn't, couldn't believe that it was that simple. He had his youthful imagination on his side, after all. He could believe that a curse cast by the Evil Queen was responsible for his mother's less-than-happy childhood. "You can't seriously think that that man would come to find you if what he said wasn't true?"

"I don't even know him. For all we know, he could just be some lunatic who escaped from the local asylum,"Emma protested matter-of-factly, gesticulating wildly for emphasis. Henry just shook his head at her, "He knows you, and he knew me. And, I don't know how, but I recognized him even though I don't think we've ever met before,"

That was a new wrinkle, but as Henry was saying the words, he realized that they were true. He did have vague memories of that same bearded face and Irish accent speaking to him on some vast, elaborate ship in another time and another place. He blinked rapidly, attempting to dislodge the images from his mind and re-focus on his mom, who was staring at him in astonishment.

"You recognize him?Like you know him?"she queried shrewdly, brow furrowing in an obvious frown.

Henry lifted one of his small shoulders in a non-committal gesture. "I don't exactly know how to put it,"he said hesitantly, "But he does seem really familiar. I can't really explain why,"

The frown wrinkling Emma's white forehead deepened at that. Now that Henry had mentioned it, Killian really did seem familiar;but that was impossible. Where would she have met a guy who dressed like that, even in New York, a guy with a hook for a hand?He'd said he was an old friend, but how come she didn't remember him, even a little bit?

"Yeah, it's weird, but I was getting the same feeling while he was here,"she confessed offhandedly, trying to make it sound like it was a matter of no real importance. It was, though;it was a really big deal. Because, if what the stranger had told her was true, then her parents were only in danger because someone wanted to get to her. And if she went to rescue them, she'd be playing right into their hands-whoever they were.

"I think you should trust him and try to find your parents,"Henry stated simply, offering his opinion. Then he struck the final nail in Emma's coffin; "For your sake-and mine. I'd really like to know my grandparents,"

Emma let out an exasperated huff, galled by those words. He just had to play that card, didn't he?Henry knew full well that she would do anything to make him happy, even believe in something like this.

"Fine,"Emma surrendered in resignation, knowing she had no other choice now. Once Henry brought his own welfare and happiness into the equation, the ability to say ''no'' just escaped her.

It looked like she was taking the bait, after all. Whoever was after her was about to get exactly what they wanted.

_The game is about to change_

* * *

**Neverland**

_At the bottom of the treacherous cliff known as Dead Man's Peak, he could see the prince waving his arms, waiting to be let up. He started to toss the rope over the edge, but a chillingly familiar voice stopped him in the process._

" _Don't pull him up yet. I wanna talk. Alone."_

_Hook let out a deep breath. He really should have expected this._

_Turning away from the precipice, he tossed the rope away in exaggerated exasperation. "What do you want?"the pirate asked the demon boy, finding him half-concealed by the shadows of the trees and the surrounding darkness._

_Pan was just barely visible against the midnight backdrop, but his presence was impossible to ignore. The smirk was evident in his voice when he replied, "To offer you a deal. Come back and work for me, like the old days,"_

" _I don't miss the old days,"Hook stated dully, affecting a quiet scoff to cover his hesitation. Pan appeared to sense it, anyways, though and apparently had no qualms about preying on it._

" _What if I were to offer you something that's very hard to come by?"Hook did his best not to jump when the demon teleported and rematerialized mere inches away from him before speaking again, "Passage off the island,"_

_The dark-haired man lowered his eyes and feigned a smile. "Still not interested,"he declined, shaking his head. And he shouldn't have been, either. The old days, as Pan called them, were a bit of a blur, but the things he'd done while in Pan's employ, well, they definitely weren't things that were easily forgotten._

_Now that his smirk was visible, it gave the boy an air of the grotesque on his deceptively youthful features as he continued to press. "What if I were to sweeten the deal?You can take someone with you,"he crossed up onto the slope of the rock before dangling the one thing he knew Hook couldn't say no to, "Emma,"_

_Hook stared at him, a little puzzled and a lot warier than he'd been when this conversation had first started. Emma was the entire reason he was here, after all. Pan knew that. And he no doubt knew how Hook felt about her, which was why he was using her as bait._

_He had to admit that it was a tempting offer. He'd always hated it here:Neverland held nothing but bad memories for him. And leaving here with Emma would have been great, except there was one very prominent factor standing in the way of that: "Emma would never leave her son."_

_The blonde boy's poisonous pink lips curved maliciously. "She did once before,"he pointed out with a vindictive gleam in those unearthly eyes of his, "And you can be there to pick up the pieces,"_

_He paused briefly to allow the pirate to ponder that while he crossed back down in front of him, striding confidently past the evergreen trees. "We've known each other a very long time, Killian. We've done business before,"Hook looked up to see his smirk turn almost suggestive, "And I think this is the perfect time to restart that relationship,"_

_The pirate felt his heart pounding in his ears. He should not have even been considering this-and he definitely couldn't believe that he was. "And what if I'm not interested?"he retorted a little too quickly to be entirely convincing._

_Pan gave a quiet, mirthless chuckle. "Of course you are, because that's what I've always liked about you,"he closed the distance between them again, still smirking. "You're good at surviving,"he finished._

_Again, Hook had to fake resignation, rolling his eyes expressively before asking, "What do you want me to do?"_

" _You'll be in my employ. Do my dirty work,"Peter answered cryptically, smile morphing into a much more sinister expression._

_Hook gave him a droll stare. "What dirty work?"he questioned flatly, meeting Pan's impassive gaze without blinking, trying to figure it out. But Pan was giving nothing away, "When the time comes, I'll let you know,"_

_He switched tacks abruptly, "But first, I need a signal that you've taken my deal," "So my word right now wouldn't be enough?"Hook quipped lowly, offended by the lack of faith. He and Pan might not have been the best of friends, but that didn't mean he should be questioning his honour;when he made a deal, he stuck to it, no matter how unsavoury the terms were._

_The boy's expression darkened even further, if that were possible. "You know me,"he reappeared behind Hook, making the pirate have to suppress a shudder as he continued in a low, husky tone, "I like action. I'll know you've taken my deal when I see the prince's dead body up on that peak,"_

_And there it was:Peter wanted him to kill Emma's father. That was the reason behind this entire façade. He wanted Hook to be his tool again, for him to go back to what he had been before he'd escaped Neverland the last time._

_Hook would have been lying if he said that the thought hadn't crossed his mind before. Killing the prince would definitely put an end to all of his insults and disdainful looks, but he was still Emma's father. And that wasn't at all what he'd signed up for._

" _You'll see that, anyways. He's on his last legs thanks to Dreamshade,"he tried to divert, but Pan wasn't having it. "I want to see you kill him_ before _the poison,"the demon declared fiercely with such intensity that Hook actually felt himself tremble, "I want to see your hook_ inside _his body,"_

_He didn't miss the thinly-veiled innuendo there, nor did he expect the sudden rush of heat that went through his body at those words. What was it about Peter that made it so easy for him to know exactly the words to say that would get to him the most?_

_Peter had moved behind him again, so he had to turn in order to meet that burning, smoky gaze. He did so carefully and with deliberate slowness. "And what if I_ don't _take your offer?"he challenged softly, feeling a slight sense of foreboding at the simple question of going against Pan's wishes._

_The demon looked supremely unruffled, moving his lips next to the pirate's ear and making him freeze as he responded, "Remember the last time you didn't listen to me?"he whispered heavily, breathing audible through his words._

_He pulled back gradually and then his hand shot underneath the side of Hook's coat, plucking the flask from his hip and holding it up between them. "Have a drink. You know it always helps you think,"he said with such disgust and utter_ want _in his eyes that Hook had to look away after snatching the flask out of his hand._

_He was about to say something else, but the telltale sounds of Charming's laboured pants as he successfully,_ foolishly _climbed his way to the top of the cliff stopped him-and Pan melted out of sight._

_Peter never failed to unnerve him, no matter how many times he encountered the little demon. That time had been no exception._

**The Jolly Roger** (is now an official location)

Though he hadn't really needed it, Hook had sailed his ship to New York and docked it in one of the many harbours surrounding the city under a cloaking spell to keep it from prying eyes. A cloaking spell that he'd cast himself;another one of the benefits of the magic that Pan had given him.

He stepped onto the deck of his ship and found the King of Neverland waiting for him, standing on the rigging as if summoned by his thoughts. The blonde boy wasn't holding onto anything and, if Hook didn't know any better, he'd swear the boy was _trying_ to fall, the way he was leaning out over the water.

The pirate didn't ask Peter what he was doing there;instead, he simply leaned back against the ship's helm, withdrawing his flask from underneath his coat and flipping it open. The boy was going to be the one to dictate whatever the forthcoming conversation was going to be, so Hook was going to let him be the one to start it, too.

Just as he was in the process of taking a drink of the amber liquid he kept on him at all times, the boy leapt easily down from the makeshift tightrope and landed in front of him, his trademark smirk firmly in place.

Hook simply watched as he came closer, taking a drink of his rum in order to moisten his suddenly dry throat. When Peter was about five inches away from him, that was when he finally spoke.

"Reunion didn't go as well as you thought it would?"he questioned in that sibilant accent, lifting one of his dark blonde eyebrows. There was a knowing gleam in his smoky eyes, though, that said he already knew exactly how the ''reunion'' had gone and was just toying with Hook-as per usual.

He still allowed himself to rise to the bait because he knew it was what Pan wanted-and because he was curious to hear what the boy had to say about it.

"There was no tearful ''hello'' or rejoicing at seeing me again, if that's what you mean,"the pirate replied neutrally, licking his lips, "But then, she didn't slam the door in my face, either, so I digress,"

Pan smiled at the response, showing his pointed teeth. "You didn't profess your undying love and devotion the moment you laid eyes on her?"he sneered coolly, eyes rolling with what Hook could only describe as disgust.

He wondered briefly about that, but didn't forestall his flat retort. "I didn't think it wise to do that on what, to her, was our first meeting."

Both of Pan's eyebrows rose this time as he feigned shock and let out a truly chilling laugh. "You didn't think it _wise_?"he repeated dubiously, advancing slowly toward the captain of the ship in what was almost a predator's lope. Then, when they were practically nose-to-nose , he added, "Or because you don't feel that way anymore?"

Hook had to force himself not to flinch when those swirling onyx orbs locked onto his light blue ones, scrutinizing and penetrating him to his very soul. At that, he found himself wondering wildly if Pan could read minds.

"You know, I did wonder why exactly it was you decided to take my deal this time,"he mused in barely above a whisper, eyes boring holes into the man's face without blinking, "You were never one to bend so easily to threats-unless, of course, you didn't do it to save your precious Emma,"

He paused for a second, as if pondering while his dark pools continued to study Killian in a way that gave the pirate the distinct sensation of being X-rayed.

Hook froze when he felt Pan's hot breath on his face and felt his heart rate speed up when the demon posed another question, almost speaking into his lips, "But then, I wonder, If you didn't do it for her, why _did_ you?"

The one-handed man swallowed tensely, feeling extremely warm all of a sudden. "What does it matter?This is what you wanted-"he started to evade Pan's suggestion, but a finger against his lips and the boy's soft, dangerous chuckle cut him off, "You can't lie to me, Killian. Not anymore,"

The use of his first name coming out of Pan's mouth would forever be the unholiest sound that Hook had ever heard. And because the demon only used it when he wanted to unnerve him just made it even more so.

He let out a sigh of surrender and relented. "I wanted to return to the other side,"he admitted truthfully, not moving away from the boy who was still firmly in his personal space, "I wanted to truly be the villain for once. And I wanted to make the Saviour's family regret all of the grief they gave me while I was trying to help them save the boy,"

Another huff of laughter slipped from the blonde's silken lips, this one more vindictive than the last-if that were even possible.

"You wanted to know what it meant not to feel, to be truly ruthless. You wanted to make them pay,"he surmised knowingly, lips stopping just short of brushing the pirate's ear, "I was right all along. You _do_ miss the old days,"

"I do,"Killian admitted, forcing himself to meet those piercing eyes and not to blink. It was the truth:he missed not caring about anything but his next task. He missed the simplicity of having no weaknesses and surviving only for himself and nothing else. And then, there were the things Pan asked(ordered) him to do;those were what he missed most of all.

He unconsciously leaned forward when Pan's knuckles caressed his cheek with an uncharacteristic gentleness. "Well, I'll do my best to make sure you enjoy working for me now just as much as you did then,"he promised, carding his fingers through the pirate's hair almost affectionately before whispering his next orders, "And I'll start by letting you kill the boys who betrayed me to the Saviour and her family. You'll do that for me, won't you, Captain?"

It wasn't a request, but the pirate felt the need to give his acceptance all the same. "Yes,"he consented without hesitation, feeling no remorse for the lives he had just agreed to end.

A familiar predatory smile curved Pan's full lips at his unhesitant compliance. "Excellent,"he said with a sort of twisted satisfaction.

* * *

**Neverland**

All of the falsehoods and the lies he'd had to tell in order to protect himself and his boys, were necessary. But also, they were inevitable;he didn't trust anyone, not really. And it turned out that he was justified in doing so, because in the end, Felix had been the only one to remain loyal. Everyone else had given him up the moment the prospect of another home was dangled in front of them.

Peter didn't really blame them, though;he was selfish, too. He made the choice a long time ago that he would look out for himself and no one else-and anyone foolish enough to count him as a friend was only setting themselves up for disappointment. That was proven time and time again and the only one who didn't seem to have learned was his second and most faithful. He didn't need to teach Felix, though. Felix was smart;he wouldn't still be here if he thought Peter would betray him again.

There was one secret that no one, not even Felix, had ever known, though. What Wendy had told the Saviour about the Heart of the Truest Believer had been what she thought was the truth-but really, it hadn't been the truth at all.

The real reason he'd needed Henry's heart wasn't to save his life. It was actually a lot simpler and less dramatic than that.

He strode through the jungle to where his new friends had gathered, brushing aside the leave of the trees that surrounded him. "I didn't know we were the type of group that needed to have war council meetings,"he commented dryly as he came to stand between the taller male and his female companion.

The woman gave a soft, humourless chuckle. "Do you disapprove?"she asked carefully, as if daring him to discourage this.

Peter shook his head, his trademark smirk firmly in place. "Is it really necessary?"he countered smoothly, not missing a beat, crossing his arms over his toned chest.

"Your right-hand here was just telling me the real reason why you wanted the heart of the Truest Believer so badly for all those years,"the cloaked woman told him matter-of-factly with a slight shrug, "It was an interesting story, to say the least. I'm curious to know what you have to say about it,"

Peter stared at her, eyes going uncharacteristically hard. He wasn't stupid enough to challenge her in this, but he didn't like it when people decided to pry into his private business. Especially not those who claimed to be his friends.

He had no other choice but to answer, though. So he forbore and replied without hesitation, "The scope of my power had become rather dull, so I decided I wanted more. And since my magic and this entire island runs on belief, the Truest Believer was the only way I could get more. The fact that he was the son of the Saviour and Rumplestiltskin's son was just a happy coincidence,"

"And when they thwarted you, you decided to pay them back by taking over their hometown and making them all forget who they were, just like the Evil Queen,"the female finished for him, raising her eyebrows. Peter didn't appear to appreciate the comparison, though, because he corrected her, "The queen enacted her curse for revenge. I didn't want anything as petty as that. I just wanted them all to see what they were dealing with. Because I always get what I want, even if it sometimes takes awhile to become clear what that it is,"

"A year is quite a long time,"his companion declared flatly, not bothering with any deference. She and Pan were on equal terms;partners, not master and servant. However, upon seeing that she was evoking his ire, she abruptly changed topics, "How are you getting along with your curse?"

A serpentine smile spread over Peter's pink lips, making her marvel for a moment at how rapidly his emotions could shift. "Everything is falling into place,"the immortal informed her gloatingly, showing his pointed white teeth, "The Saviour's family and the queen are out of my way and with the Dark One and my favourite pirate back under my control, there is nothing anyone can do to stop it this time. Henry will fall back under my control soon enough, and then, well, then they'll really have something to fear,"

"Something else to fear,"Felix added sneeringly with a sinister grin of his own, barely visible beneath the rim of his large, dark hood. The woman smiled in acknowledgement of the hidden compliment. "Oh, when this curse hits, I will be the least of their worries. Even being the Black Fairy doesn't compare to being an enemy of Peter Pan's. After all, Peter Pan never fails,"

The aforementioned demon chuckled at the praise and the use of his favourite phrase. The Black Fairy was a powerful ally;she was the reason he had the full extent of his powers back and the curse at all. He owed her and Peter Pan remained beholden to no one;all she wanted was to see him win. Far be it for him to disappoint her.

"My curse is only the beginning,"he stated with relish, an almost manic gleam in his smoky eyes, "When I'm done with the Saviour and her family, they'll wish they had never met me. I'm not someone who gives up easily and they were kidding themselves if they thought something as trivial as death would be enough to stop me,"

He fell silent for a minute, upper lip curling as he considered his next words. His eyes flashed almost red in the darkness when he reached his decision.

"I think it's time we let the Saviour know who she is really up against,"he announced lowly, voice almost a hiss. His lips twisted further, making his expression even darker. "Time for her to find out the consequences for backing out before the game is truly over."


	7. Chapter 7

**Neverland**

_The sand was streaked with crimson and covered in the bodies of other pirates. Not members of his crew, but still men he knew-and he'd slaughtered them all. Because grown-ups weren't allowed on Neverland, Because_ he _had commanded it._

_Killian's eyes roamed emotionlessly over the carnage, appearing supremely unconcerned by the blood staining his clothes and covering his bare hand. This wasn't the first time he had killed, and nor would it be the last-but somehow, this time was different than all the other times._

_These had been familiar faces-he'd even go so far as to call them friends. He'd lured these men off of their ship with promises of shelter and food-and then, the second they had set foot on the beach, he'd turned on them._

_He'd virtually torn them all apart, ripped out their hearts, slashing and gutting like a demon from Hell. They must have thought he had gone mad, or been possessed. And maybe that was the truth of it. He_ had _been possessed-just not in the traditional sense._

_The shadows of the cursed island seemed to close in around him as he surveyed his handiwork. He should have felt appalled or disgusted by what he had done;he should have felt_ something _, anything besides the strange, sick thrill that was currently filling his body._

" _You never fail to impress me, Killian,"that sibilant, accented voice suddenly spoke from next to his ear. There was a rush of air and then, the very boy he'd been thinking of was standing before him, a satisfied smile twisting his poisonous lips._

_The pirate didn't react;he'd been expecting this, after all. He'd felt the demon's eyes watching him throughout the entire ordeal, heard that lilting, husky voice whispering encouragement in his ear. This was all_ his _doing;of course he'd want to see the end result._

_Pan strode casually amongst the sea of corpses, grin growing more and more vindictive with each one he observed. "I told you to get rid of them, but you took my words to a whole new level, didn't you?"he praised once he was back in the captain's sight line and in his personal space._

_Killian met those smouldering, gleaming eyes without blinking, attempting in vain to conceal just how much Pan's proximity affected him. He detracted all thoughts of what was usually happening when the two of them were this close and forced himself to answer in as clinical a tone as he could manage. "I thought you'd appreciate the initiative, "he commented without humour, though he couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from twitching slightly._

_A dark chuckle slipped from the immortal's lips, sending an inexplicable shudder down the pirate's spine. "Oh, I do,"he confirmed, eyebrows lifting with the corners of his mouth as he laughed, "But we both know there was more to it than that, Captain,"_

_Pan stepped even closer, then, foot coming to rest between the man's so their chests were almost touching. "I think you're starting to enjoy our little arrangement a lot more than you care to admit,"he suggested knowingly, boring holes into the other's aquamarine orbs._

_Killian knew that look in the demon's eyes all too well;he was caught. He couldn't lie to the boy, not here where his power had absolute control over everything, even the tiniest things. And those eyes;sometimes, it was almost as if they were staring straight into his soul and plucking out all of the deepest, darkest aspects of it._

_He swallowed hard around the sudden lump in his throat. He'd figured out a long time ago that this_ boy _was anything but human-but what was it about him that he could so effortlessly slice through every single one of Killian's defenses?What was it about Peter Pan that sent every single sense in his body on edge whenever he was in the vicinity?_

" _And if I am?"he retorted in barely above a whisper, the words coming out a lot huskier than he had meant them to._

_He saw the gleam in Pan's eyes brighten as the boy let out a second, quiet snicker, and he had to suppress a shiver when he felt Pan's lips brush against his ear. "You already know the answer to that question, Captain,"he breathed out before pulling back with deliberate slowness, biting his bottom lip and looking up at Killian through his long, burnished gold lashes._

" _You were made for this(for me);this is the person you were always meant to be."_

_Hook pretended he didn't feel the press of those sinful lips against his own just before the demon vanished, leaving behind his cruel mockery of a shadow. And he pretended his heart wasn't racing when the contact ended._

* * *

**Caldred** (made up realm)

Killian stood inside the home of the final traitor, in front of the boy with the shorn, greyish hair who looked uncharacteristically clean, and terrified. Although, that was understandable:Killian was, after all, here to kill him-not to mention the fact that he had the blood of the boy's former comrades still saturating his clothes and flaking off of his hook and hand.

The strange thing, though, was that the pirate didn't feel an ounce of remorse for the things he was doing. He didn't feel bad for lying to Emma about who he was-and he definitely didn't feel a single regret for killing all of those Lost Boys who had given Pan up to the Saviour and her family. He was truly turning into a villain now-and this was what villains did.

They killed.

The boy-Darien, Killian vaguely recalled his name being-was cowering from him, doing his best to make himself as small as possible. "You,"he said, trying-and failing-to keep the fear out of his youthful voice, "What are you doing here?What do you want?"

An unbecoming sneer slowly curled the pirate's upper lip as he tapped his hook rhythmically against the surface of the polished granite countertop. "Think hard, mate. I'm sure you can guess,"he replied in a deceptively amiable tone, stance casual and not at all threatening. He had no personal grudge against the boy;but he had taken Pan's deal and now he had no choice but to comply with his orders.

The boy didn't take long to put the pieces together, proving he was a lot smarter than he looked. "He sent you,"Darien realized, voice strained with mixed shock and terror, "He survived and somehow convinced you to work for him again," He looked up through his lashes to meet Killian's frigid blue orbs, attempting not to flinch, "Didn't he?"

Hook tilted his head forward in an affirmative, rubbing his nose with the curve of his hook. Tears filled the boy's eyes at the confirmation as the pirate slowly rounded the counter and came to stand at his feet. "Please, I don't want to die,"he all but whimpered, clasping his hands together to keep them from trembling.

"You should have thought of that before you and the others decided to betray _him,_ "Killian retorted without sympathy, squatting down so he could position his hook underneath the boy's chin, "You, of all people, should have known, boy:breaking his rules always comes with a price. And you and your friends have now paid with your lives,"

His tone was uncharacteristically cold and, when he slashed the boy's throat, it was in one single, unforgiving motion. Blood instantly fountained out of the wound and spattered across the linoleum floor, forming little crimson rivulets next to the child's head once it hit the tiles.

Killian straightened up, sneer turning almost manic as he stared down at his victim's body. He couldn't remember the last time he'd enjoyed killing so much;he didn't think he ever had-not since the last time he'd worked for Pan.

He closed his eyes, exhaling soundlessly. He was changing, that much was obvious;he was reverting back to the person he had been before he'd escaped Neverland the first time. Back into the monster Pan had molded him into-and, as horrible as it was, he'd actually missed being that person. Being under Pan's control wasn't like being under anyone else's.

He'd never had this much fun being under anyone else's control, after all.

* * *

**New York City, New York**

Henry hunched his shoulders and pulled his hood further over his head in order to hide his face. He shouldn't have been doing this;skipping school and venturing out into the most dangerous part of the city was definitely not a smart idea, and it wasn't something he would do under normal circumstances. But these were about as far from normal circumstances as you could get.

What that strangely familiar man had said had permanently stuck in his mind. He couldn't let it go like his mom obviously wanted him to. He had to know if the man had been telling the truth-he had to know more.

He didn't know how he knew where to look for Killian;his feet were moving of their own accord, taking him through the rugged streets and all sorts of back alleys and shortcuts that he should have been staying away from. It was as if some external force, something out of his control, was leading him and he had no choice except to follow.

Everything passed by him in a blur, like he wasn't really there-almost as if he was looking through someone else's eyes. He saw people staring at him, but he didn't look like anything out of the ordinary, so for the most part, they ignored him and he ignored them right back. There were more important things for him to worry about right then.

After what seemed like mere minutes-but was probably a lot longer-he found himself standing at the entrance to a marina. He'd been here before;he recognized the peeling, unreadable sign and all of the ships docked there.

Well, _almost_ all of them.

A frown wrinkled his alabaster forehead. There was a ship there that he had never seen there before-but he had seen it somewhere else,in his dreams.

He felt his mind freeze as he caught sight of the name that was inscribed across the hull:

The _Jolly Roger._

"No way,"the boy whispered with mixed shock and anxiety as the implications of that ship's existence hit him like a speeding bus;that man, the one who'd come to their door that morning, was… "Captain Hook."

There was a part of him that no longer wanted to go through with this-that wanted to turn around and never look back. Captain Hook wasn't real-and even if he was, he was supposed to be a villain. Yet, he'd claimed to be an old friend, hadn't he? There was a part of him that didn't want to keep going-but there was a bigger part that needed to know what was going on. And that was the part that won out.

Henry took a deep breath to steady his nerves before striding through the entrance to the marina and toward the fabled ship, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets to keep them from trembling. Whatever was going to happen here, at the very least, he would get the answers he was looking for.

As if sensing his presence, a wooden ramp appeared alongside the ship, clearly beckoning him aboard. Henry ascended it warily, keeping his eyes peeled for any nasty surprises;he may have been just a kid, but that didn't mean he was stupid.

Nothing jumped out at him, though, and he reached the top of the ramp without any incidents. When he climbed over onto the flat surface of the ship, he found its presumed captain waiting for him, sitting in front of the helm with long legs crossed at the ankles and fingers curled around his stubbled chin.

"And to what do I owe this unexpected pleasure, young sir?"Killian greeted him shrewdly, a single copper eyebrow lifting at the boy's appearance. Henry gulped;now that he was here, he wasn't really sure what he should say. This man could be potentially dangerous-and he'd walked right onto his home turf.

Doing his best not to let his sudden fear show, he inhaled deeply and responded with a question of his own. "You're him, aren't you? Captain Hook? Like, for real?"

Killian spread his arms and lowered his head in an oddly cordial bow. "That I am,"he confirmed with no hint of deception, "I'd say pleased to meet you, but that would be rather redundant at this point,"

Henry's frown deepened at his choice of words. "So we have met before? I mean, before this morning?"he asked carefully, grasping one of the ship's pillars to keep himself steady.

The pirate nodded. "As a matter of fact, we have. Quite a while ago, too-and I know that your mother wouldn't have let you come see me on your own, so my guess is she doesn't know you're here,"he paused, then as if it had just occurred to him, he asked, "How did you find me?"

Henry shifted his feet, uncomfortable with the sudden scrutiny. If he really did know this man, he shouldn't be so afraid. Should he?

"I honestly don't know,"he confessed truthfully, "It was like something just…led me here. Like it wanted me to find you," "But how did you see my ship?It's cloaked by a spell that not even the most powerful sorcerer could penetrate,"he pressed, genuinely puzzled.

The boy just shrugged;he had no idea what the pirate wanted to hear. "It looked completely visible to me,"he said at length, unsure what he was getting himself into by telling this.

Something unidentifiable streaked through the one-handed man's light blue eyes-something that made the hair at the back of Henry's neck stand on end. "Interesting,"the man commented in an undertone, appearing to be speaking more to himself than to his companion.

Then, as if only just remembering that Henry was there, he spoke again at a more normal volume, "Well, it appears that there are still some things about you that even I don't know. But tell me, what are you doing here, Henry? What did you come find me for?"

Henry hesitated for about a fraction of a second before just going with his gut and saying what was on his mind, "If you and my family were so close, why doesn't my mom remember you?Why do _I_ feel like I know you, even though my mom says we've never met before? And what did you mean when you said we were cursed by the same person who is holding my grandparents captive?"

Killian was silent for a few minutes, as if he were debating how to answer. Then, he drew himself up to his full height and closed the distance between the two of them, doing his best to look non-threatening. "I can answer all of your questions, Henry-and I can help you remember who you are. But I need something in return,"he waited a second to make sure he had the kid's full attention before he made his request, "I need your support, Henry, and your trust. Because if I have that, then your mother will have no choice but to listen to what I have to say,"

The Saviour's son looked up at him, wide brown eyes unguarded and searching. He could tell the boy was trying to think of a reason not to trust him;he was a smart kid. But not that smart.

"Okay,"Henry acquiesced after thinking it over, nodding his head, "You have a deal," He withdrew one of his small hands from his pocket and held it out for the pirate to shake.

A smile crossed the man's thin lips and he shook the boy's hand to seal the deal. "Excellent,"he said with unconcealed relief, "Then let's go have that talk with your mother,"

He ushered the boy off of his ship, still smiling. Once the boy's back was turned, however, the smile turned faintly crooked. Things were going exactly as _he_ had planned.

He had the kid-now he just needed the parent.

* * *

**Neverland**

This time, things were going to be different.

The new Lost boys didn't require his manipulations. They were the newer, better models of the old ones, He'd changed the enchantment on the pipes, changed it so that they would draw only those who he could trust, those who would follow his orders without question-no matter the reasoning behind them. Those who, like Felix, wouldn't be lured away from Neverland by the promise of _parents_ and a _family._

The pipes had done their job;he'd found exactly what he wanted in the new boys. They did their job without question, watching the captives in the Enchanted Forest, along with one of his new allies; the former Sheriff of Storybrooke. The pipes could do more than just entice new recruits-now they had the power to resurrect the dead as well.

Even so, Peter still saw fit to keep a close eye on all of them-all of his new pieces. But they didn't disappoint him; he could see into their souls-and they all belonged to him.

In some cases, that was no surprise. The real reason he'd brought Felix back from the dead was because he was too valuable a piece to lose permanently; and, to be quite honest, the whole Felix being the ''thing he loved most'' was still true. To an extent, he did love the blonde, but he used that love as a weapon and he didn't let it weaken him. That was the difference between him and those ''heroes'':he controlled his emotions, instead of letting them control him.

In the midst of his observations, he sensed someone approaching him at his vantage point at the very edge of the island. Actually, it was _two_ someones-both of which he had been expecting.

"Captain,"he greeted the pirate amicably, a grin quirking the corners of his silken lips as he turned around to face Hook and his right-hand man. Felix stood next to the pirate, eyeing him carefully from underneath the rim of his hood, "You're back soon,"

Hook nodded, no longer quite as tense and unsettled in the eternal boy's presence as he usually was. That was some definite progress there. "I finished off the last of the traitors,"he informed the elder with, Pan noted, a hint of unconcealed vindication. There was the barest trace of a smile on the pirate's lips when he asked, "Is there anything else you want done while I've still got the Saviour on tenterhooks about her family?"

Pan made a soft noise of amusement at the dispassionate manner in which Killian referred to his former _love_. He took a step forward and his grin widened when the pirate remained just as relaxed as before. Oh, yes, progress had definitely been made here.

"No, but I will offer you a piece of advice about getting the Saviour to believe,"he stated helpfully, showing his sharp, pointed teeth. Killian raised his eyebrows, but made no move to back away when Pan started to come even closer. "I'm listening,"he prompted the immortal to continue, interested in what Pan would have to say.

The shorter blonde shared a brief look with his other companion before elaborating, "Why don't you see if you can get Henry on your side? He is the key to all of this, after all-and I'll bet he's just dying to hear what you know about him and his family,"

By the time he'd finished speaking, he was standing barely inches away from the one-handed pirate and he could almost see the wheels turning in Hook's brain while he mulled over Peter's advice.

"That's not a bad idea, actually,"he mused after a moment's pause, acknowledging Pan's cleverness with a tilt of his head.

He smiled slightly when he felt the boy's thin fingers on his cheek and he didn't pull away from the contact, not even when Peter leaned in until their foreheads were nearly touching and he could feel warm breath against his lips. He was no longer afraid of this:he no longer had any any desire to deny what was between him and Pan, because it definitely wasn't going away anytime soon-and he wasn't even sure he wanted it to.

Everything else just basically fell away when he felt Pan whisper into his mouth. "I've missed having you on my side, Killian,"the demon purred lowly, cupping the pirate's chin with an uncharacteristic tenderness. Killian reciprocated eagerly when he felt himself being pulled into a brief kiss. "It's good to have you back."

Hook allowed himself be coaxed into a second, deeper kiss, opening his mouth and inviting the other in. The man he'd been prior to Pan's return, the one who had been willing to sacrifice his life to save Emma and to help her save her son was gone now.

It went without saying that he'd never expected to find himself back here, underneath Pan's thumb, his tool and, in essence, his possession, doing his dirty work once again. The thing he really hadn't expected, though, was to be enjoying this just as much as he had the first time. He had become a killer and a liar once again-and he was loving every second of it.

This was no doubt what Pan had had in mind the entire time when he'd asked Killian to come and work for him again. He'd wanted Hook to see that this was truly who he was meant to be;being a hero was just not something he was cut out for. He'd tried it to win Emma over, so she'd see him as something more than a reluctant ally, but that would never have been enough. Emma wouldn't have been enough to permanently make him change who he was.

He didn't need any of that anymore, though. For all of his shortcomings, Peter Pan did have one exponentially redeeming quality:he never lied. He might make certain edits or omissions, but he never outright lied. And he didn't accept lies, either;he, above everyone else, had known that Killian had only been lying to himself by trying to play the hero and going against him.

That was over now.

When they broke apart and after the pirate had left to finish what he had started with Emma and Henry, Felix spoke up. "Are you sure it's wise, trusting him again after what he did?"he queried in a neutral tone, doing something he very rarely did:questioning his leader.

Peter waved a hand carelessly, dismissing his concerns. "You're forgetting one very important thing, Felix,"he chided the taller boy playfully, smile still firmly in place. He waited a beat before elaborating, "I own our dear pirate;mind, body and soul. And I've made sure that he _never_ forgets it again,"

That didn't really assuage Felix's concerns, but he knew better than to pry further.

* * *

_The dreams had been getting harder and harder to ignore-and they were no longer occurring only at night. Now he was seeing the haunting images during his waking hours a well._

_It had been three days since the last time he'd gotten a good night's sleep, three days since these unbelievably vivid nightmares had begun. And they were only getting worse._

_Tonight, though, something was different. He didn't have the same sense of foreboding as he usually did when he found himself in the twilight jungle;quite the contrary, actually, he felt rather excited._

_That wasn't the only difference, though. No, this time, when he found himself in the dimly lit campsite, the only other person there was the blonde boy who seemed to always be present. And he was looking right at Henry._

_That was strange. Before, something had always been happening in the jungle-and he had always already been in the middle of something. This, though, looked like just the beginning._

_When he began to show awareness, a slight smile curved the bright-eyed boy's lips. "Hello, Henry,"he broke the silence, resting his elbow on top of his upraised knee._

_Henry jolted at the sound of his lilting British accent. This didn't seem like a memory or a dream-no, this, this seemed real._

_He clenched his fists, doing his best to hold his ground and not back away in fear. "How-how do you know my name?Who are you?"he asked unsteadily, trying to keep the fear out of his voice._

_The taller boy got to his feet and came to stand in front of him, allowing Henry a closer look at who he was talking to. There was something so familiar about him;the windswept dirty blonde hair, the bottle-green eyes, even the unblemished tawny skin was firmly ingrained in his mind. Henry could have sworn that this boy had been a large part of his past-even though he was pretty sure that the two of them had never met before._

_"I'm an old friend,"he replied evasively, still smiling-though there was something sinister about it, something that didn't look right on his youthful features. Henry nodded indulgently, wondering why on earth he was surprised by that answer._

_"Another old friend who I don't remember,"he surmised flatly, exhaling heavily, "That seems to be happening a lot lately," He met the other's dark stare suspiciously. "How do I know you're not lying?"_

_The blonde chuckled softly, apparently unfazed by the accusation. "You know that we have a history, Henry. I can see it in your eyes;you remember me, even if you don't remember where from,"he quipped firmly, eyes swirling dangerously beneath his lashes._

_Henry shook his head, unwilling to believe that that was true. How did the boy know?How could he know that Henry had been seeing him everywhere for the last three days?_

_"N-no,"he denied the statement fiercely, but it was without much conviction-and the blonde caught that._

_"Just think about it a second. You'll see that I'm right,"the elder told him confidently, testing the waters by taking a step closer to the tense eleven-year-old._

_Henry didn't have to take that second, though. He could already sense the truth in the blonde boy's words;no matter how much he didn't want to, he believed them._

_Inhaling deeply, he briefly closed his eyes before opening them and looking up at the taller carefully. "Who are you?"he repeated one of his earlier questions-only this time, it was less out of skepticism and more out of genuine curiosity._

_The latter locked gazes with him and in that single glance, Henry saw a million different things race through his emerald pools. And then he uttered the four last words Henry had been expecting._

_"I'm Peter. Peter Pan."_


	8. Chapter 8

**The Remains of Storybrooke**

He didn't know how long he'd spent wandering these familiar streets, being plagued by memories of his family and those he'd loved. It seemed like ages, but had most likely only been days. He never thought he'd be trapped here again. Moreover, he never thought he would ever become a prisoner in his own mind.

His memory was slipping away;his emotions, his heart, everything that made him human was fading. And he knew it was all Pan's doing. Pan was stripping away all of the goodness inside of him until there was nothing left but the monster. Because the monster was the one he could use to do his dirty work.

No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't fight off the darkness that had begun to eat away at his soul. The Dark One might have been powerful, but he was virtually nothing compared to Peter Pan.

"I never properly welcomed you back to the land of the living, laddie,"that familiar British accent suddenly punctuated his thoughts, causing his lips to purse in a rueful smile. Speak of the Devil and he shall appear.

And appear he did, wearing his pied cloak of multi-coloured patches so only his boots and everything above his neck was visible. Unfortunately, that included his dancing bottle green eyes and those arrogantly twisted pink lips.

Rumplestiltskin wanted to lash out at him, to demand to know why he had been brought back from the dead and, most of all, why he was being made to suffer the humiliation of being Pan's puppet once again. But when he opened his mouth to speak, no sound came out;his voice simply refused to work.

The demon chuckled as he continued to open and close his mouth like a fish out of water. "I expect you'd like to know why I brought you back, Rumple,"he said with feigned courtesy, reading the Dark One's mind without any conscious effort. He didn't wait for a response before answering his own question, "It's quite simple, actually. You were so willing to sacrifice your life to get rid of me that you didn't bother to think of what the ramifications of doing so would be,"

He circled around Rumplestiltskin like a predator stalking its prey, an unbecomingly cruel sneer curling those poisonous lips as he withdrew a bone-white dagger from underneath his cloak. A dagger that Rumplestiltskin recognized all too well.

His eyes went wide at the sight of the familiar blade. He didn't understand how this could have happened;he'd used that dagger, _his_ dagger to stop Pan. He'd killed him with it;it had been the only way. Yet, somehow, the demon was still alive-and now he had the dagger, which meant that he held all the cards.

Seeing Rumple's reaction to his pulling out the dagger, Pan's sneer widened, showing his gleaming white teeth. "Yes, I have it now, Rumple. The dagger you so desperately tried to keep out of my clutches because you thought it was the only weapon that could stop me, that could end me once and for all,"he said in almost a hiss, vindication clear in his bright, manic eyes. He gave a soft, mirthless chuckle, " _I_ was the one who planted the idea that the Dark One dagger was the only object equally as powerful as I was, and, therefore, it was the only thing that could kill me. But really, all it did was make me more powerful,"

He vanished suddenly, reappearing mere inches away from the other male, eyes blazing in the darkness of the midnight hour. Leaning close, he finished his speech in a whisper, "And now, it's going let me control _you_ ,"

Rumplestiltskin was unable to do a thing to stop him as he raised the dagger into the air so the moonlight glinted off of the blade, and said in a cold, clear voice, "I call on you, _Rumplestiltskin_. I control you, Dark One-and you _will_ serve me,"

With just a few words, Pan was able to subdue him completely. He felt the last of his control ebbing away as those smoky, dark pools locked onto his own bronze orbs, penetrating down to his very core.

Pan's voice invaded his mind, reverberating within his ears when he next spoke.

" _You're going to turn it all off, Rumple, and you're going to let yourself become the thing you've always strived so hard not to return to,_ "his new master intoned, and there was more danger in the silkiness of his tone than in the most potent of curses.

The Dark One felt his walls going back up and every last vestige of humanity being consumed by the demon's power. And he couldn't do a damn thing to stop it, because, as long as that dagger was in Pan's hands, the immortal teenager was his new master-whether he liked it or not.

Pan watched with unconcealed satisfaction as Rumplestiltskin sank down into a kneeling position, lowering his head in candour. "What is your command, _master_?"he questioned deferently, though he still spit the title through clenched teeth.

This appeared to amuse Pan because he let out another dark, sinister chuckle from the back of his throat as he used his magic to force his new servant to meet his gaze. His eyes were like an endless void-and Rumple actually felt a shiver of fear at the complete and utter lack of mercy in the boy's voice when he replied.

"My first command, Rumple?"he repeated, still with that infuriating sneer on his silken lips. He stooped down until his face was level with the Dark One's so Rumple could see the authority he now held over him, "My first command is for you to go to the Enchanted forest, back to your old cell, where you'll find that girl of yours. Belle, is it?And then, you know what you're going to do?"

He brought his lips next to Rumple's ear and completed his sentence in a tone completely absent of humanity:

"You're going to kill her."

* * *

**Neverland**

The eldest Lost Boy-after Peter Pan, of course, was stationed outside the camp alone while Peter was off taking care of business elsewhere. Not that it really needed guarding while they were the only ones in Neverland, but Felix didn't question his leader's orders.

It was ironic, really;he had done everything for Peter, only to get his heart ripped out by him. And yet, here he was, right back where he had started, serving the boy who had killed him.

Loyalty was a funny thing-or at least, when it came to his loyalty to Pan, it was. He should have hated Peter for what he had done;he should have felt betrayed to his very core. But he didn't-not even a little bit;on the contrary, he was more devoted to the eternal boy than ever.

He didn't harbour any resentment toward Pan for not telling him about the curse's final requirement beforehand, nor for being made to die for the boy. He would have died for him, anyways;Pan had basically given him his life, after all-it seemed only fitting that he would be the one to take it away.

And Pan had brought him back, returned his life so he could help him complete his original plan:turning Storybrooke into a new Neverland for Pan to rule with Felix by his side. Because there was a reason why Felix was the thing Peter Pan loved most;he had always been the most faithful and, by default, most trusted of all of the Lost Boys. He hadn't been lured away by the promise of a family, because Pan was the only family he had ever known-and the only family he would ever need.

He was back in the same campsite where the Saviour and her band of so-called ''heroes'' had held them while they'd searched for the Truest Believer. This was where they'd duped all of the other Lost Boys into betraying their leader while Felix had done his best to stop them. They had been weak, though, taken in by the Saviour's honeyed words and her beseeching eyes. They had failed-and now they had paid the price.

Felix knew that Pan had ordered his pirate to slaughter every last one of the traitors and he had felt an immense sense of satisfaction at that fact. They didn't deserve to live after what they had done, leaving Pan for a _family_. Pan was better than any parent, brother or sister-and he was certainly much better than any adult.

Adults lied and cheated and robbed you of your freedom with all of their rules, their ''can't'''s and "don't"'s. They pushed their dreams on their children, pushed them into being what they thought was best instead of who they were. Felix's own parents had abandoned him and left him in a rathole that the government called an orphanage. His life had been Hell until he'd started dreaming about Neverland and Peter Pan.

The best day of his life had been when Peter had promised to take him away from his prison-and he hadn't broken it. Now, Peter had promised that they would rule this new Neverland together-and Peter Pan never broke his promises.

* * *

_"Welcome back to Neverland,"Peter Pan declared expressively, spreading his lanky arms in a grandiose gesture that would have looked ridiculous on anyone else, but on him, looked completely normal. His grin was bright and zealous;but the gleam in his eyes looked at complete odds with his youthful, boyish features._

_Henry cast a careful, scrutinizing look at the surrounding jungle. It was all tangled vines, gnarled trees, treacherous mountains and low-hanging, dark green foliage;it was definitely not the sort of place he'd ever thought he'd find himself in._

_A dubious expression crossed his pale face as his eyes returned to his companion. He'd never thought Peter Pan was real-but if he had, he wouldn't have guessed that this was what he would look like. Oh, sure, the blonde hair and the playful smile fit the bill, but he'd always thought that Pan would look more like a child, not like a teenager just on the cusp of adulthood. And he definitely never would have imagined those stunningly pink lips-nor those dark, smoky, smouldering eyes._

_"This isn't real,"he said, shaking his was furiously in disbelief. This was too much;first, he and his mom had had a visit from Captain Hook and now he was being haunted in his dreams by Peter Pan. He didn't know how much more of this he could take, even with his imagination, "This can't be real,"_

_Peter's grin simply widened at his stubborn scepticism, eyes dancing with unconcealed mirth. "You don't really think that,"he chided, putting his hands on his slender hips, "After all, you wouldn't be here if you didn't believe. Neverland is a place that runs on belief, and imagination,"_

_He chuckled when Henry squeezed his eyes shut, silently willing himself to wake up-but no such luck. The jungle and Pan were still right in front of him when he opened them again._

_He heaved a deep sigh of resignation and held up his hands in surrender. "Fine,"he conceded,"Maybe this is real. But even if it is, what am I doing here? How am I here?"_

_Peter patted his shoulder in an almost brotherly manner. "Well, this isn't your first time in Neverland, Henry,"he told the younger boy matter-of-factly in complete honesty. The brown-haired boy blinked. "It isn't?"he quipped in confusion, eyes widening fractionally._

_The taller shook his blonde head. "No. Remember I told you that I was an old friend?Well,"he paused, as if debating exactly how much to reveal, "We spent some time together here not so long ago, Henry. And only boys who feel lost are able to come here in their dreams. Why do you think my family is known as the Lost Boys?"_

_Henry stared at him, trying to figure out if he were telling the truth or not. There was nothing in his tone or his expression to suggest that he wasn't-and that would explain why Henry had been having dreams about him and the island for the last three days. But if only boys who felt lost could come here..._

_"But I don't feel lost,"he argued a little too quickly. That wasn't, strictly speaking, true. Ever since Captain Hook had showed up their door and said that they were cursed, he had been feeling like a part of him was missing. Almost as if there were something or someone who had been a big part of his life that he just couldn't remember anymore. That could technically translate into feeling lost._

_As if reading his mind, the immortal crept into his personal space, lowering himself onto his haunches so that their faces were level. "We're all a little lost, Henry,"he declared softly, watching the younger boy subtly for his reaction, "Only those who can admit it come here, though. They come here to fix it-but the first step is admitting it,"_

_Henry met those gleaming eyes suddenly, expression going from sceptical and guarded to open and hopeful in record time. Could it be possible that the immortal could help him get back his missing memories? There had to be magic on Neverland-maybe it was magic that could help break whatever curse Hook had said had been put on him and his mother?_

_He inhaled deeply, swallowing around the sudden lump in his throat before forcing himself to speak again. "I can't remember anything about you,"he confessed lowly, doing his best to continue to look at those endless, dark voids while they bored into his guileless brown orbs, "It's like the last year of my life has been a complete blur-and everything else, all of my memories of the time before that, they just don't seem like mine anymore. My life feels almost like it belongs to someone else,"_

_The whole time he spoke, Pan listened intently, but he didn't look surprised. In fact, he looked almost like that had been exactly what he'd wanted Henry to say._

_When Henry fell silent, Pan squeezed his shoulder in what was probably supposed to be a comforting gesture. "I know exactly what you mean, Henry,"he empathized, the kind tone not quite reaching his cold, calculating gaze. But Henry didn't see the brief instant when his eyes had flashed almost solid black, so he was completely oblivious to the immortal's real feelings on the matter._

_Pan straightened back up to his full height and gave Henry a gentle smile. "And I know how to help you. That is, if you'll let me,"_

_The brown-haired boy gazed up at him with such innocent, trusting eyes. He wanted so badly to get rid of the feeling of emptiness in his head that had been growing ever since he'd learned about this supposed curse. He didn't feel whole -and it was a horrible feeling that he didn't want to have anymore._

_Though every instinct in his body was screaming at him not to trust this dark-eyes boy, he nodded his head in consent. "Please,"he added to his acceptance of Pan's offer, unable to keep the pleading note out of his tone._

_Peter's lips pulled back further, showing his pointed white teeth. "Okay,"he nodded his own head, "Just you wait and see, Henry. Neverland is a place where all of your dreams can come true-even the most impossible ones,"_

* * *

**New York City, New York**

" _Your family is in grave danger."_

It was strange;a day ago, she was a firm non-believer in all things supernatural. But, after the conversation she'd had with Killian the previous day, she couldn't _not_ believe.

Especially since she was starting to recall some of what he'd told her.

It had started slow, but when Emma had gone to sleep the previous night, there had been nothing to prevent the assault of memories that had attacked her mind the second she'd closed her eyes. She had believed in _fairy_ _tales_ , of all things;no, more than that, she had found out that she was in one.

Make no mistake, though, none of the memories had been complete-or very helpful. They'd only been brief flashes of her parents, of another land, of green smoke and pirates, and, strangely, Henry's father. But what had stood out most had been the images of the leather-clad man who'd reminded her about all of it;Killian hadn't been lying. He _was_ an old friend, and they _did_ have a history, though Emma couldn't for the life of her, entirely remember what it was.

His words were still running through her head even now, just as they had invaded her dreams. He had said that she was the only reason her parents were in danger, because whoever had captured them had a score to settle with her. Because she was the "Saviour", whatever that meant.

The entire event was still playing in her mind-which was understandable, since it had just happened the previous day. But nothing else about the day had stood out as much as her talk with Killian had.

It had been late morning and she had been just about to leave for work when she'd opened the door to find Killian once again standing in the hallway-only this time, he'd had her son standing right next to him.

Her guard had immediately come up and she'd reached for Henry to pull him inside, away from the man who was still a virtual stranger, even if she knew his name.

Henry hadn't budged, though;he'd planted his feet, crossed his arms and just straight up refused to move. When she'd asked him what he thought he was doing, he'd replied with a simple, cryptic "Getting you to believe".

Killian had taken over from there, telling her everything that he could about their past-and then, saying that ensured that she would believe him. And, with Henry backing him up, she'd found herself unable to deny his words.

Above everything else, though, there had been one thing that he'd said that she remembered the most. It hadn't been the words themselves;rather, it had been the tone in which he'd said them.

" _This person who's coming after you, who's using your parents against you, he will stop at nothing to get his vengeance._ "

He'd said those words as if he were truly concerned for her safety-as if he really cared. That had finally convinced her that he really did know her, and they really had shared a past;because he wouldn't be so worried if he _didn't_ know her. Would he?

With the realization of this new threat, though, it wasn't _her_ safety she was concerned about. She'd brought it up with Killian, asked him point-blank if this old enemy would hurt Henry. And the latter had looked her right in the eyes and responded with a single, blunt "Yes".

Fear wasn't an emotion she was very familiar with. She'd felt it before, of course, but never like this. The all-consuming, paralyzing sensation of abject terror was something she had never experienced before, not even when she'd first had Henry and hadn't thought she'd be able to take care of him. No, this was even more severe than that-and that was saying something.

She watched her son as he walked out the lobby door to catch the bus that would take him to school. She would go to any lengths to keep Henry safe;she was a mother-and mothers would do any number of drastic things in order to protect their offspring from danger. Even working with someone they didn't fully know if they could trust yet.

Emma just hoped that she wasn't making a mistake by letting someone who looked like Killian Jones into her life-or rather, _back_ into her life.

* * *

**The Enchanted Forest**

For the most part, the Lost Boys had been nothing more than silent guards, standing and watching them continue to fail at their escape attempts. It seemed that that was about to change because, when the prisoners opened their eyes from their unwilling slumber, the Huntsman was leading a small procession of them into the dungeon with the prince's sword resting casually against his leather-covered shoulder.

"Boss says those two,"he pointed the sword at Baelfire and Belle, "Are to be brought below and the rest are to be moved next door. Leave the former royals where they are," He was obviously addressing his followers, but David saw fit to comment, anyways. "Why are you separating us?"he demanded to know, baffled by what purpose that could possibly serve.

The former Sheriff simply smirked, baring his faintly canine teeth. "You have a visitor-and she only wants to speak to you three,"he supplied casually, watching without remorse as the cell doors were opened and the Lost Boys began to drag out the others.

Snow protested fiercely when the dwarves and Ruby were roughly manhandled while her husband's eyes narrowed at Graham's enigmatic statement. "What visitor?"he retorted shrewdly, clenching his teeth.

Graham's sinister sneer widened as a familiar female voice answered that for him. "Don't tell me you've forgotten me already, _your Highness_ ,"the dark-haired masked woman faked hurt as the former sheriff stepped aside to let her pass. She loped fluidly toward the open cell, placing a single gloved hand against the shimmering wall that stopped them from escaping even while the gate was completely ajar.

"I just wanted some privacy so the four of us could chat,"she continued conversationally as if they were old friends instead of potential enemies.

Now more of her figure was visible, the prince could see that she was tall with fair skin and a tattoo of black wings to match her mask across the front of her throat. Her eyes, though, were by far the most striking thing about her;they were so black that it was practically impossible for him to tell where the pupil ended and the iris began.

Even Regina was shaken by the revealing of her appearance-though she continued to refuse to show it. "I think you're just stalling. You can't hurt us, so you're just wasting our time with empty threats,"she shot back defiantly, folding her arms across her chest.

The shorter sorceress merely shook her head at the ex-Queen's false bravado, as if she were dealing with a very slow child. ""Can't" implies the inability to do something. I'm simply _not allowed_ to hurt you,"she corrected smoothly, her kohl-lined lips curving in an almost predatory expression, "Pan wants you alive and unharmed, at least until your roles in his game have been fulfilled. The others are just collateral, but you three, you're the other main pieces-and you're doing everything exactly the way he wants you to,"

David's hands shook with ill-suppressed frustration as the cell bars slid back into place and he, his wife and their former nemesis were left alone in the cell with the masked woman watching them like a hunter might watch its prey. "And if we get out?"Regina quipped cockily, arching an eyebrow.

The latter's grin turned indulgent. "You won't, but go ahead and keep trying,"she dismissed the question, looking supremely unconcerned. Her gloved fingers tapped one of the steel rods confidently, "You of all people should know that this cell is enchanted. Rumplestiltskin couldn't get out of it-what makes you think you'll be able to?"

Finally, neither Snow nor her husband could stand it anymore and the disgraced princess burst out with the question that was on all of their minds: "Who are you?!"

The masked female feigned a gasp of shock. "Oh, did I forget to introduce myself?"she said with mock horror, "I'm Tamesis," She paused briefly before adding with a soft chuckle, "But you can call me the Black Fairy,"


	9. Chapter 9

**New York City, New York**

She couldn't believe her eyes when Henry lead her to Killian's ship;or rather, Captain Hook's ship. She blinked rapidly in disbelief, scepticism furrowing her brow. "Is this for real?"she breathed in an undertone, staring at the hull of the ship blankly.

"I'm afraid it is, love,"that lilting, Irish brogue broke into her thoughts as the captain came down the narrow ramp, thumb hooked in his belt. When he reached the bottom, he shot her a charming grin. "So what brings you here, then?"

Instead of answering his question, Emma looked up at him with her blonde eyebrows raised. "Your ship is called the _Jolly Roger_?"she said incredulously, thin lips pursed into a flat line, "Your name isn't really Killian Jones, is it?"

The one-handed man's smile widened, showing his teeth. "Actually, it is, but most people know me by my more colourful moniker,"he raised the piece of curved metal that had taken the place of his left hand, "Hook,"

Emma's eyebrows shot up so high, they were in danger of disappearing into her hairline. "As in _Captain_ Hook?"she surmised with obvious doubt, crossing her arms over her chest stubbornly. She couldn't believe this;she couldn't really be talking to a fairy tale character, could she?

Unfortunately, the copper-haired man inclined his head in an affirmative;apparently, she could. And Henry, of course, was ecstatic.

"So fairy tales, they really are real? Every one of them?"the brown-haired boy questioned excitedly, eyes wide with curiosity. He smiled when the pirate confirmed his assumption, "Every one,"

Henry turned to Emma with a gloating grin. "See, Mom?I told you I wasn't crazy,"he declared emphatically, daring his mother to contradict him.

Emma was at a loss for words;she couldn't really carry on her sceptic act after the previous day. But she didn't really want to admit that she was actually starting to believe all of this, either.

A frown creased her white, slightly lined forehead as she reluctantly conceded. "Does that mean that the person who kidnapped my parents, they're from a fairy tale, too?"she asked carefully, tapping her foot nervously.

Hook gave her a grim nod, but forestalled her before she could comment. "Perhaps we should discuss this somewhere a little more private?"he suggested, stepping aside and gesturing toward the ramp which lead up to his ship's deck, "Would you care to come aboard?"

The blonde woman shot him a swift, searching look, but accepted his invitation, ascending the ramp with Henry close at her heels. "Let's say that fairy tale characters _are_ real and one of them really _has_ taken my family,"she continued to speak when she climbed aboard the _Jolly Roger_ , casting her eyes around in ill-disguised wonder, "Why would they do that?And how did you get here to warn me?I doubt that you were in New York when they were kidnapped,"

Hook let out a soft chuckle. "You're right, I wasn't,"he agreed honestly, "I came here aboard my ship, which happens to have the power to fly," He paused for a brief moment before answering her other question, "And, as far as why one of us would kidnap your parents, we aren't exactly the fairy tale characters you've read about in stories. The villains in particular are not at all what you'd expect-and like I said before, one of them obviously has a very personal grudge against you,"

"Because I'm this "Saviour" you keep going on about,"the woman finished for him flatly, frown deepening. She shrugged her shoulders, "But I was cursed to forget about all of that," What she didn't say, though, was that the curse was starting to break.

"So you _have_ been paying attention,"the pirate quipped in an attempt to lighten the mood, his previous grin returning in full force.

Henry piped up, then, cutting into their conversation without pretense. "So if we were cursed, why would this old enemy take my grandparents?Didn't they know that we didn't remember them?Were they not the ones to curse us in the first place?"he queried curiously, starting to frown a little himself.

The pirate lifted one of his leather-clad shoulder, "I haven't the faintest idea. All I know is what I'd been able to gather after witnessing their kidnapping,"he told them helplessly.

Emma's head jolted up at that new piece of information. "You saw them being taken?"she repeated tensely, voice actually trembling with her badly suppressed emotions.

"I did,"the hook-handed man confirmed slowly, as if unsure where she was going with this.

The Saviour looked him full in the face, taking a step forward and uncrossing her arms. "Do you know where?"she inquired hopefully;Hook could see her hands shaking as they curled into fists at her sides.

He stared at her, almost as if he were assessing her, for several seconds before giving a tiny sigh and nodding once again. "They've been imprisoned back in the realm where we all came from:the Enchanted Forest,"he informed her matter-of-factly and without a single trace of deception.

Emma had to stifle a rueful laugh at that;a week ago, she would have said that Killian was bullshitting her-but she remembered the Enchanted Forest and she knew it was real. She even remembered being there herself for a brief period of time, and Hook was right;it hadn't been at all what she'd expected. The last thing she wanted was to go back there. Unfortunately, it appeared she had no choice.

Inhaling deeply and setting her jaw, she met Hook's light blue eyes again. "Take me there,"she commanded bluntly, taking charge without any further preamble, "Can you do that?"

There was silence while the pirate appeared to consider he demand, swiping his tongue over his top lip as his smile dropped. Then he chuckled. "That I can do,"he acquiesced with a mocking bow.

* * *

**Neverland**

Once, he'd thought it would be a cold day in Hell before he'd ever enjoy being in Neverland. The place was insane, after all, and the site of more than one awful moment in his life. It was where he'd lost himself once before;now it was where he was doing so again. Though, at the moment, lying on the cold, hard ground with a warm body pressed against his side, that didn't really seem like a bad thing.

The pirate exhaled heavily, eyes focused on the swirling indigo, star-strewn sky. This was definitely the last thing he'd expected to happen after the curse had sent him back to the Enchanted Forest;he'd never expected to see Emma again, nor to find himself back under someone else's control. The most unexpected thing, though was definitely what he'd come to feel for the… _being_ who was currently wrapped around him.

"You're thinking too hard again,"that velvet-like British accent broke into his thoughts, sounding almost annoyed as its owner rolled on top of Hook, bracing himself with his elbows on either side of the pirate's neck. Green eyes appraised him from beneath long lashes, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Hook met Peter's penetrating stare evenly, arching one of his copper eyebrows at the comment. "And that's a problem for you?"he queried mildly, expression neutral.

The blonde teenager glared down at him, fingers curling into his hair and yanking his head back. "Are you questioning your choice to work for me again?"he countered with a question of his own, nestling his teeth against the curve of Hook's jaw and biting down.

Hook groaned at the sudden spark of pain and his eyes slid shut of their own accord as Peter's teeth scraped over his jawline, breaking the skin of his neck. "Not at all,"he responded raggedly, digging his nails into the other's shoulder.

That, strangely, was the truth. He was perfectly content with being Pan's tool again, despite all of his efforts not to end up back here. He never thought he'd enjoy being on his knees for anyone again. As it turned out, that wasn't, strictly speaking, true.

Pan's pink lips curved in a crooked smile as he pulled back to look the pirate in the face. "No?"he challenged slyly, devilishly dragging his nails down Hook's exposed chest, eyes aflame with pure malice. He leaned in again, breath rushing over the sensitive flesh of Hook's ear as the man arched underneath his rough hands.

He didn't press any further, though, when Hook didn't reply because he sensed the man was being honest;Hook wouldn't still be here if he wasn't. His hands continued their journey down the other man's torso, pulling at the skin and pulling Hook out of his mind.

Killian didn't think that Pan thought of him as anything more than a toy, but, despite his better judgement, his feelings had begun to run deeper. He had thought he was in love with Emma, but now he realized it had just been the idea of her he'd loved;because she was too good for him. He may have called himself a man of honour, but he was no saint-and what he was feeling and doing now was more likely than not a sin. That didn't seem to deter his body, or his heart, though. Peter had become an addiction, an obsession-to the point where Killian would do absolutely anything for him.

He'd never admit it out loud, but when he had fallen out of love with Emma, he was pretty sure he'd fallen in love with the absolute last person he'd expected:Peter Pan.

* * *

_The new Dark Curse was made specifically for his desires, to make his enemies suffer. It was to be his coup de grace, the endgame of his grand master plan._

_He had nearly all of the elements and now, one of his pieces has taken it upon themselves to take care of the condition he didn't even know about. The Honourable Man must spill_ innocent _blood on human soil-and he is about to do just that._

**London, England**

The Darlings had no idea they were being watched. It had been a year since John and Michael had gotten their sister, Wendy, back from Neverland, and things had been relatively peaceful.

That is, up until now.

Hook hid in the shadows behind their dusty manor, observing them going about their nightly routine with a wry smile. They were, of course, completely oblivious to his presence, which made this all the sweeter.

Pan hadn't ordered him here-no, he was doing this completely of his own free will. This wasn't like all of his previous kills, either;the Darling girl was an innocent. The traitorous Lost Boys, on the other hand, had been anything but.

Pan was rubbing off on him just a little too much, He had never killed someone who hadn't deserved it before;he shouldn't even be doing this at all, but something was pushing him to, urging him to commit this heinous crime. He had been no saint before Pan, but he had never sinned more than he had while he was working for the demon boy.

He really wished that that terrified or repulsed him like it should have. Instead, all it did was give him a sick little thrill that brought the darkest parts of his heart to the surface.

The pirate waited until the lights in the manor's windows went out before coming out of his hiding spot and striding soundlessly to their front door. When he reached it, all he had to do was wave his hand, coiled with magic, and it swung inward to admit him.

He crossed the threshold into the silent house, his black scarf concealing the bottom half of his face from view. Closing the door behind him with a soft click, Hook cracked his knuckles and made his way toward the upper wing of the house, where he knew the Darlings's bedchambers were situated.

The stairs creaked slightly underneath his black boots, but not loud enough to alert the house's inhabitants. Hook took care not to make any other noises and no one noticed him while he climbed the carpeted steps.

At the top, Hook followed the narrow, lightless hallway past two rooms to the end where the girl's bedchamber lay. And he knew this because the name "Wendy" was emblazoned on the door in bold red lettering.

The door to Wendy's bedroom was, conveniently enough, wide open, so he was able to let himself in without effort. Once inside, he found her sound asleep in her bed, completely unaware that she was about to die.

He stood over her, debating whether or not to wake her up first. It _would_ be amusing to see the terror in her eyes and hear her scream as he cut her throat. He saw no reason to deny himself the entertainment of that visual.

Upper lip curling faintly, Hook bent down, lowering his lips to the sleeping girl's ear and whispering in a mocking sing-song voice, "Wake up, little Wendy-bird,"

Wendy moaned quietly and her eyelashes fluttered as her eyelids slid blearily open. "John, Michael, is something wrong?"she asked in a drowsy voice, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Oh, there's something very wrong, indeed, love,"Hook replied crookedly, making Wendy freeze at the sound of his familiar Irish accent.

She dropped her hand abruptly and stared at him, as if trying to convince herself that he wasn't real. That obviously failed, though, because she shifted back in her bed, attempting to hide her fear. "What are you doing here, Hook?"she asked guardedly, unable to keep the tremble out of her voice.

Hook's bow-shaped mouth twisted into a vindictive grin that showed his white teeth. He had come here to test himself, to find out just how far gone he really was. Now it was time for the moment of truth.

"I'm here to do what Pan should have done a long time ago,"he answered smilingly, but with an undeniable threat in his tone.

When he took a step closer, she leapt out of the bed and ran for the door. "John, Michael, quick, run-!"she started to yell for her brothers, but she cut off in a scream when Hook yanked her back by her hair, pressing his hook against her neck.

"None of that now, lass,"he crooned warningly against her cheek, stroking the tip of his hook down the front of her throat. His smirk only widened when he felt her recoil at the cool metal's touch. "You wouldn't want your precious family to see you die, would you?"

Wendy gulped audibly. "Why are you doing this?"she whimpered piteously, leaning her head back in an effort to put even just the tiniest bit of distance between her and that deadly blade.

Hook chuckled lowly when he heard the distinct sound of footsteps running toward their location. "You betrayed him, you know. Sold him out just like the other Lost boys did. And that makes me extremely unhappy, which, in turn, inevitably results in someone dying. The traitors paid the price for their mistake-now it's your turn,"the pirate finished his sentence just as Wendy's two older/younger brothers came rushing into the room.

"Let her go, pirate,"the taller one, John, ordered with as much authority as he could muster;though, in his too-small nightshirt and loose pants, it failed to be as intimidating as he no doubt intended it to be. Killian simply laughed, letting his hook bite into their sister's throat until it drew blood.

"Sorry, mates, I can't do that,"he faked an apology, though his grin gave away the lack of insincerity. He pulled Wendy's head farther back, eliciting a sharp cry of protest, "But I will give you the option of walking away;this isn't going to be something you'll want to see,"

The two boys's eyes widened at that comment. "Wait, what are you-?"Michael started to ask, but his question was answered when Hook slashed open Wendy's nightgown, cutting her skin in the process so blood began to run down her body.

He didn't even give her a moment's respite before cutting her throat, delighting in the bloodcurdling screech she let out an instant before she slid to the ground, crimson fluid oozing out of her wound. He glanced cruelly at her and pressed his boot over it, increasing the pressure steadily until she stopped breathing.

Wiping his bloodstained hook off on his leather coat, Killian stepped nonchalantly over the girl's dead body and came to stand in front of her siblings, who were gaping at him with tears in their eyes. He didn't really want to deal with their grieving, but they were blocking the door, so he forbore.

After a minute of silence, one of them finally found the courage to speak. "You killed her,"the one with the glasses stated in utter disbelief. He stared at his sister's corpse, unwilling to believe what he was seeing.

Hook, on the other hand, had no qualms about adding to his distress. "Aye, that I did,"he affirmed without remorse, actually sounding oddly proud. He raked a dispassionate glance over the two males before adding, "And, unless you want me to do the same to you, I suggest you get out of my way,"

They did so, but not without comment. "We won't forget this, pirate!"John called to his retreating back, breaths wavering with the strength of his words, "On my word, I won't rest until I kill you, just like you did to my sister!"

Hook snorted derisively as he exited the Darling house the way he came, unconcerned by the unconcealed threat. These boys didn't scare him;they had no idea what he was capable of. Although, until tonight, he hadn't truly known, either.

As he walked out of the front door, he felt a depraved sense of elation and accomplishment. He'd killed an innocent girl and, far from being horrified and disgusted, he was actually gratified. He'd passed his own test-and the point of no return.

He exhaled deeply, watching his breath condense in the night air. He knew letting himself fall under Pan's spell again would change him-but he'd never imagined just how much.

There was no going back now. He was a man of honour no longer.

* * *

**Neverland**

_Rumplestiltskin sat on the rock, rolling the straw doll absently between his long fingers, unable to take his eyes off of it. He never thought he'd see it again after leaving it on this cursed island centuries ago-but of course, Pan just had to prove him wrong._

_He never should have come back. When he was a boy, he'd briefly called this place home, but now it felt like one giant trap. Every second he spent here, he felt less and less like a man and more and more like the monster he had been before Belle._

_Neverland_ did _hold some good memories for him, but they had all become shadowed by the darkness that was Peter Pan. The boy, who had been first his friend, then his family, was now his worst enemy-and his greatest weakness._

_The straw doll was just another reminder of his failures and his sins. All the thing he had done as the Dark One didn't even begin to compare to the things he'd done while under Pan's control. And Pan hadn't forced him to do anything, either;he'd done it all of his own free will, all because of the pain he'd felt at his father's betrayal._

_But this had all started because of his father, hadn't it?The village coward and, as his son, Rumple had been the only one to still believe in him-the only one who continued to encourage him to be brave. It had been useless, though;his father had left him as a child, lured by some ungodly force. It wasn't until later that Rumple had discovered that that force had been the boy he'd allowed to control him for so many years._

_He felt a lump rise in his throat and he pushed back the thoughts of his father. They were just one of many things that made this island so unpleasant. Here, he didn't feel strong. Despite all of his bravado aboard Hook's ship, here he felt as weak as a newborn babe._

_Regretfully, he realized his son had been right not to trust him. Not because he'd wanted to kill Henry, but because, on Neverland, he was basically a loose cannon. Peter Pan knew how to push him in ways that no one else could. Moreover, Pan knew exactly what to say to make him do things that he knew he shouldn't. Like killing his own father, for instance-even if the coward had abandoned him, he had still been his father._

_Gritting his teeth, he crammed the doll back into his shirt and rose to his feet. He hated this place. Hated feeling like one of Pan's pawns again. Most of all, he hated not knowing what was going to happen. He had to know how all of this was going to play out._

_Rumplestiltskin took a deep breath to calm himself before closing his eyes and raising his palms. Maybe he could see the future, if only to find out if he was going to make it out of this alive or not._

" _You can't see the future here. It's impossible to see the future in a place where time stands still."_

* * *

**The Enchanted Forest**

When the torches flickered out in the cells below, Belle and Baelfire were expecting another visit from the masked woman who seemed so determined to hide her identity. They definitely weren't expecting one of the torches to come back to life, nor when it did, to recognize the man who materialized outside their cells.

Tears welled up in the girl's eyes at the familiar face and she jumped up, hardly daring to believe what she was seeing. "Rumple?"she whispered tentatively, hand shaking as she reached out through the bars to touch him in an attempt to gauge whether or not he was real.

He stepped forward so she could lay her hand on his cheek and he met her brown eyes blankly. "Hello, Belle,"he greeted her in an uncharacteristically low, monotonous voice, completely ignoring his son.

Baelfire got to his feet slowly as Belle let out a gasp of relief. "It is you,"she exclaimed happily, cupping his face in her hands and breaking into a wide smile, "You're really here. And you're okay!"

"Papa?"the male in the cell spoke up warily, coming to stand next to the redhead, his lower lip quivering with ill-suppressed emotion. He'd though the worst when he'd seen Pan with the Dark One dagger, but his father was alive;more than that, he seemed more powerful than Baelfire had ever seen him before.

Rumple didn't appear to notice him, however;his focus was entirely on Belle as the redhead continued to run her hands over his face, moisture trickling down her cheeks and smearing her days' old makeup. "I don't believe it,"she shook her head in awe, still smiling, "I thought I'd lost you forever,"

She didn't seem to notice the utter lack of emotion in his eyes as he simply continued to watch her, gaze blank and clinical. She kept talking, "Can you get us out of here?The others are upstairs somewhere, but for some reason, Baelfire and I were brought down here. It's really been dreadful-"

Her chatter was cut off when the Dark One's scaled hand closed around her throat through the bars and lifted her off of her feet, causing her to choke. "Rumple,"she rasped in horror, clutching at the thin fingers pressed against her windpipe, "Rumple, what are you doing?"

"Dad!"Baelfire chimed in, rushing to Belle's side with obvious confusion. He attempted to pry his father's hand from Belle's throat, but to no avail-his father's grip was much too strong. "Papa, what are you doing?!"

The blankness on Rumplestiltskin's face was more terrifying than any expression could have been. But it was the emptiness of his voice that truly sent shivers down his son's spine.

"I didn't come here to rescue anyone, Belle,"he stated in a flat, lifeless tone, eyes flickering and reflecting the torchlight. His grip tightened further, eliciting a whimper from his girlfriend's mouth as he revealed his true intentions.

"I came here to kill you."

Baelfire's eyes expanded rapidly and he stared mutely at his father as Belle writhed in his grip, trying desperately to break free. "Rumple, Rumple, you can fight this,"the redhead croaked, grasping his wrist, "Listen to me. Someone is controlling you. But you don't have to do this. Rumple, please,"

"Papa,"Baelfire started to say, tense with helplessness, but he trailed off. He had no idea what to say to try and stop this;he'd never thought anything could make his father kill Belle, the woman he loved. But that was exactly what he was doing.

Belle's struggles grew steadily weaker and her face was losing colour as her air supply continued to dwindle. She didn't stop talking, though;tears poured down her greying cheeks as she continued to try and reason with her boyfriend.

"Rumple, you're strong enough to beat this. Just listen to my voice,"she kept at it while he kept strangling her. Baelfire had to admire her resolve;she still believed in his father, even when he was about to kill her.

He had to do something, obviously, someone was controlling his father. But who?

"Pan,"he realized suddenly, feeling a jolt go through his body. He turned back to his father, intent on getting through to him. "Pan has the dagger. He's using it to force you to do this. Papa, you can fight him. You don't really want to kill your true love, do you?Come on, Papa, please stop this,"he pleaded with the Dark One, covering the hand around Belle's throat with one of his own and joining in the attempt to pry it off.

His intervention came too late, however;and Rumplestiltskin didn't even seem to hear him. Belle's lips were turning blue and her eyes were rolling back in her head as he continued to squeeze on her trachea without showing any signs of letting up.

Baelfire grew increasingly more desperate and he doubled his efforts to try and break his father's grip, but it was no use. There was just nothing he could do.

A few moments later, Belle was dead, and his father was gone, leaving him alone with the redhead's corpse. And after he was gone, Baelfire could practically hear Pan's demonic laughter ringing in his ears.

Pan had achieved what he'd always wanted;to have the Dark One at his disposal. To make Rumplestiltskin the monster that he'd tried so desperately not to let himself return to. But he'd failed-and now he'd killed his true love. There would be no coming back from this. Not this time.


	10. Chapter 10

**Neverland**

He was back in the twilit jungle, but this time, it was of his own free will. He wanted to be here and, when he saw Peter waiting for him by the fire in the center of the clearing, a smile split his young face.

The smile faltered slightly when he saw that Peter wasn't alone, though;standing next to him was a tall, hooded boy who looked incredibly imposing with an angry red scar across the left side of his white face. Henry couldn't help but feel a slight tremor of fear at the utter lack of emotion in his grey eyes.

As if sensing his discomfort, Peter laid a calming hand on his shoulder. "This is Felix, Henry,"the blonde introduced his companion in a friendly tone, "He's the eldest Lost Boy-after me, of course-and he's also, you might say, my right-hand man. He takes care of things when I'm not around, and he's completely harmless, unless provoked, of course,"

Henry relaxed somewhat at Peter's reassuring words. If Peter said that Felix wouldn't hurt him, then Henry believed him. After all, Peter would never lie to him.

"How come I've never seen him before?"he questioned curiously as Peter moved away slightly, arching one of his light eyebrows in query, "He wasn't here all the other times I visited in my dreams," "That's because I didn't need him to be here before,"the shorter blonde explained matter-of-factly, sharing a brief glance with his second-in-command before turning back to face Henry with an uncharacteristically serious expression, "But, just in case I'm not around, Felix will take care of you. He can be just as much your friend as I am, okay, Henry?"

Something in Peter's words made it sound as though there was more to it than he was saying, but Henry didn't feel the need to pry any further. He nodded in understanding. "Okay,"he accepted the explanation without hesitation, flashing the hooded boy a brief smile of acknowledgement.

Peter patted his arm amiably. "Good,"he said with the barest trace of an inflection before switching topics, "Now that that's out of the way, come on. Let's play,"

Henry followed him out of the campsite and they did what they'd only started doing since the last time he'd come here. They ran through the trees, Peter pointing out his favourite spots of the sprawling island as they did so. Henry saw all sorts of animals, both ordinary and not and he found them all fascinating.

The two of them did all sorts of things that he couldn't do in his waking world;they hunted all of the wildlife, played games like tag through the jungle. Peter even taught him how to shoot arrows;he was no great shakes at it, but it was just for fun.

When they came to Peter's favourite spot on the island, what he called his "Thinking Tree", they stopped so that Henry could take a breather and so that they could talk.

"So how are your memories, Henry?Have any more of them come back?"the taller boy asked him with what sounded like a genuine concern, leaning back against the tree trunk and crossing his long legs at the ankles.

Henry took a brief moment to think about the question before responding, "Bits and pieces of them, but not enough to really make sense of everything. I remember you and the pirate who came to my mom and I, but not much else. I still get the feeling that I'm missing a big part of the picture,"

He paused, then confided some of his more private thoughts to the immortal, "I think my mom is remembering more, though, because she seems to trust Captain Hook now. Or at least, she seems to trust him enough to let him take her to the Enchanted Forest and try and track down my grandparents,"

For a second, Henry could have sworn that there was a gleam of satisfaction in Peter's emerald eyes;but it was gone as quickly as it had come, so he wrote it off as just his imagination. The leader of the Lost Boys's tone was perfectly innocent when he spoke again.

"Maybe you should try and see if you can go with her,"Peter suggested offhandedly, "Maybe the magic in the Enchanted Forest can break whatever curse was put on you,"

Henry nodded slowly;that didn't sound like that bad an idea. He'd always wanted to be somewhere with magic;Neverland was great and all, but he could only get there in his dreams. The Enchanted Forest, on the other hand, was apparently somewhere he could go for real. That was definitely something he would want, too.

"Do you really think she would let me?"he quipped hopefully, wondering what Peter really thought about it.

The blonde shrugged his lanky shoulders. "If your mother really loves you, she'll help you get your memories back,"he stated firmly, meeting Henry's large brown eyes without blinking.

Henry smiled gratefully at him. "I'll ask her when I wake up,"he decided with determination, "I've always wanted to be in a fairy tale. Now I get to see where they all came from,"

The Saviour's son was so wrapped up in his own excitement that he didn't see the malevolent smirk that curled his companion's lips. Nor did he see Peter's green eyes darken until they were nearly black with malice beneath his long, golden lashes.

* * *

**New York City, New York**

For the first time in a week, Henry woke up with a smile on his face. He no longer considered the dreams about Neverland nightmares and now he looked forward to them, rather than dreaded them. The one he'd just had, in particular, was one that he had especially enjoyed.

Peter Pan had become something of a godsend to the brown-haired boy. Henry didn't really have any friends in the real world, so Peter was his only confidant. Neverland had become almost like a second home, too, which was part of why he wanted to see the Enchanted Forest for himself. Because, if he could get there, maybe it would be possible for him to get to Neverland as well. That was why he'd decided last night that he was going to try and convince his mother to let him go with her to rescue her parents.

A faint noise from the other room broke into the boy's thoughts and he frowned, pushing back his bedcovers to go and investigate the source. He padded across his bedroom floor and, when he cracked open the door, was scandalized to see his mother just outside it, already fully dressed and scrambling to get her things together.

She was trying to sneak out before he woke up, Henry realized with quiet fury and no small amount of confusion. She was trying to leave him behind-but why would she do that?

The reasonable part of him understood that Emma was probably just trying to keep him safe, but he was twelve;the reasonable part lost to the petulant part. And the more childish side felt betrayed at the revelation that his mother wasn't even going to give him a choice in the matter.

Furious and hurt, Henry rushed to grab his coat and crammed his feet into his boot. If Emma wasn't going to give him the choice, then he would just have to take things into his own hands.

He followed his mother out of the door, taking great care to let her see him. She was apparently preoccupied, though, because she didn't even glance behind her to see if there was anyone watching. She forgot to lock their door, too, but that was beside the point.

Henry trailed her from several steps behind, ducking into alleys and inside shops that were already open so that she wouldn't see him. After a few moments, he became certain that he knew where she was heading.

They arrived at the harbour a little while later and Emma halted, her white forehead wrinkling in puzzlement. Henry didn't understand what was wrong;the _Jolly Roger_ was right in front of her, and its captain was striding down the ramp to greet her.

"Bit early for a meeting, isn't it?"the pirate said by way of a greeting, obviously more than a little bit irritated at being forced to get up at this hour. Henry didn't blame him;he'd been all set to go back to sleep before he'd heard his mom sneaking out-it was four-thirty in the morning, after all.

"Sorry,"Emma apologized, stuffing her hands in her pockets guiltily, "I just wanted to do this before Henry woke up, otherwise he'd know I wasn't going to take him with me and he'd get upset and I didn't want to hurt his feelings," _Too late for that,_ Henry thought darkly, mouth compressing into a thin line.

Hook nodded, as if he understood, waving a hand in the direction of his ship. "Shall we get started, then?"he suggested with an abrupt change of mood, lips curling slightly.

Emma stepped back in shock. "How did you do that?"she asked in a half-horrified, half-awed whisper. Henry had no idea what she was talking about until Hook responded, "Cloaking spell. To keep my ship from prying eyes,"

The brown-haired boy's confusion returned and deepened. The pirate had said basically the same thing when Henry had come here on his own the other day;he'd asked Henry how he'd been able to see the ship when it was under a cloaking spell. That didn't make sense, though;if the ship really _had_ been concealed, how come Henry had been able to see it perfectly?

He didn't have long to contemplate, though;his mother and Hook were climbing aboard the ship and he had to find a place to hide if he was going to be able to continue to listen in on their conversation.

He hastened to try and get onboard without being seen, he really did, but his attempt failed and he was busted. "Henry?"Emma called out, with a mix of anger and guilt.

Henry forced down the flush in his cheeks at getting caught and replied nonchalantly, "Oh hey, Mom. Fancy meeting you here,"

From behind his mom, Hook inclined his head in acknowledgement, but didn't speak. Emma, on the other hand, stared at him, colour high in her cheeks. "Henry, did you follow me here?"she demanded to know, unable to keep her voice from shaking slightly.

"Yes,"Henry answered before he'd really thought about it, lifting his chin boldly. Then, he interrupted before his mom could scold him. "I wouldn't have had to if you had just told me you were going,"

Emma looked down at her boots as Henry crossed his arms, boring holes into the top of her head. When she couldn't seem to come up with anything to defend herself, he continued in his accusatory tone, "You were going to do all of this without me, weren't you?Did you really think you could keep me out of it?"

"I did,"his mom admitted quietly after a moment of uncomfortable silence, finally working up the courage to meet her son's wounded gaze apologetically. She took a tentative step forward and attempted to justify her actions, "I just want to keep you safe, Henry. That's all I care about. I wouldn't even be doing this at all if you hadn't pushed me into it-"

"Exactly!"Henry interjected insistently, jabbing a thumb in her direction, "You would never have taken this chance if it weren't for me. You need me, so why can't I help?"

Emma looked beseechingly at Hook for help. When he merely stared back at her, she let out a heavy sigh. "Look, Henry, just please, don't fight me on this," she pleaded tiredly, pulling out her cell phone, "I couldn't stand it if anything happened to you. I'm calling our friends who live nearby and asking them if you can stay with them while I'm gone,"

Her son merely glared at her, feeling a deep sense of hurt and betrayal. Peter had been right;adults would always let him down. And now he was going to be trapped in New Jersey while his mother went on an adventure without him.

* * *

_She was sprawled across a throne of coiled nightmares and shadows. Thorns haloed around her feet, which were encased in sleek, black stiletto boots._

_Not a single ray of light was able to penetrate her fortress. There were no windows, no candles, not even a crack in the wall;this was, by far, the darkest place in the world._

_This was the Stygian manor;the true Dark Hollow._

_Its ruler was just as dark as its name-and she was its Queen, make no mistake. No wars were fought for dominion here. No one had ever been strong enough to challenge her-except for one person. And he was now imprisoned, a victim of his own machinations._

_Inside her castle, she saw everything. From the depths of the underworld, she knew it all. And she did not like it one bit._

_The Saviour, a tool of light, and the spawn of the Dark One uniting and birthing a child. That child being the key to the demon known as Peter Pan survival and the Dark One's undoing? Spells, these days, so unjust. So…costly._

_She did so despise that old adage; "all magic comes with a price". Her magic was free;insidious, violent and sinister, yes. But free. The magic that had been used to kill Pan, on the other hand?Nothing had ever been pricier._

_Or less permanent. She had personally made sure of that._

_Peter Pan was her partner-had been ever since he became Peter Pan. The Black Fairy had aided in the creation of his home of Neverland, and in the demise of the person he had once been. Now she was the one helping him finish what he had started in Storybrooke;his Dark Curse would not fail. And she would know;she was the one who had created it._

_Rising from the ornate obsidian chair, she drew herself up to her full height, black cloak trailing behind her as the double doors of her manor swung open, revealing an unexpected guest. "Lady Maleficent,"Tamesis greeted the blonde standing in the doorway courteously. She swept a gloved hand behind her in a beckoning motion, "Come in, please. We have business to discuss,"_

_The other sorceress nodded, accepting her invitation and entering the lightless chamber, doing her best to conceal her apprehension as the complete darkness enveloped her on all sides. Tamesis seemed to sense it, though, and couldn't resist commenting, "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm so used to the darkness that I forget that others need the light to see,"_

_She snapped her fingers and jet-black flames sprang to life around the room, casting a faint, pale glow over the onyx walls. "Better?" the Black Fairy questioned with a slight mocking edge, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth._

_Maleficent gave a quiet laugh to cover her relief. She'd never been afraid of the dark, but in this place, the dark took on a whole new meaning._

_The Black Fairy lead her back to the other end of the chamber, conjuring a second chair for her companion as she sank down into her own, slinging one of her satin-clad legs over the other. "So,"she started once Maleficent had joined her, folding her hands in her lap, "I have the former Evil Queen chained up, just as she did to you. The question is, do you want her to remain so? Or would you like the pleasure of finally finishing her off?"_

_Her tone was conversational, as if they were merely discussing the weather instead of someone's life. And, though it was tempting to say she wanted to kill the Queen, Maleficent knew that the Black Fairy and her malevolent partner had another plan in mind. Since they were the ones running the show, there was really only one right answer._

" _Let her stay trapped,"the blonde replied firmly, a vindictive twist coming over her glossy lips, "She trapped me for twenty-eight years. I think she deserves a sentence at least half that long,"_

" _Oh, don't worry about that,"Tamesis's grin turned crooked as she made a promise she fully intended to keep: "The former Queen's prison will be eternal. For defying Peter Pan, I have sworn to make her suffer like no other," She paused, then continued, this time speaking more to herself than to the other woman._

" _In contributing to Pan's demise, she did what very few people have ever been foolish enough to do. And in making an enemy out of me, she has made, quite frankly, the worst mistake of her life."_

_What she didn't say, though, was that Regina Mills had made one other mistake:thinking that she could break Pan's curse without there being any consequences more severe than never seeing her son again. And she was just about to find out just how misguided she had been._

* * *

**Neverland(flashback)**

"Henry,"Pan's soft accent interrupted his paltry regret, causing him to turn around to face the immortal boy, "Don't you know the best thing about being a Lost Boy?" He pushed the sword Henry had conjured back into the brunette's hand with a bright grin, "We never apologize,"

His lesson imparted, the immortal closed a hand over the shorter's wrist and raised his arm, gaze falling expectantly on the other Lost Boys as they started to cheer. "Come on!"he encouraged them enthusiastically, holding Henry's arm up in triumph.

Their cheers rose and Henry felt an unexpected rush of pride as he listened to them. He'd never had any friends in Storybrooke;he had no idea what it felt like to receive praise from someone who wasn't related to him.

Bolstered by their obvious admiration, he allowed himself a grin of his own, feeling sweat trickle down his temple as he held his limb higher. "Yeah!"he exclaimed slightly hoarsely, soaking up the praise with a pounding heart.

He had to admit, it had felt good to make that boy pay for provoking him. It had definitely been a far cry from the sword practice he'd engaged in with his father and grandfather back home;he'd never felt that kind of exhilaration before.

The thing that came as the biggest surprise, though, was what he had done with that stick. He'd been able to turn it into a real sword just by believing it was;he'd never, not even in his wildest dreams, imagined he could do such a thing. In fact, other than being the son of the Saviour, and the grandson of the Dark One, he'd always pretty much thought of himself as being a regular kid. Now, on the other hand…

The jubilation gradually died down and Pan's hand slid off of him. "Come on, Henry,"the blonde beckoned to him as the other Lost boys resumed their previous activities, although they were still chattering about the fight.

Henry followed Pan back to where he had been standing, next to a tree. The taller boy took up his previous position, crossing his lanky arms over his lean chest before speaking again.

"You enjoyed that,"he said knowingly, eyes glinting darkly. It wasn't a question, but Henry nodded all the same. "Yeah, I did,"he admitted still slightly breathless from the abnormal exertion.

Pan's smile widened, showing his sharp, pointed teeth so it looked almost predatory. "I thought you might,"he commented archly, tucking one of his boots behind the other, "You were a natural with that sword. You could really put those skills to use here, you know, Henry. They wouldn't do you much good in the real world,"

The brunette had to concede that point;other than being a bonding activity with the males in his family, he would probably never need the skill of handling a sword. But that didn't change the fact that he probably wouldn't like what Pan had in mind for his "skills", either.

"You mean, as a Lost Boy?"he quipped suspiciously, letting his grip on the blade loosen so that point swung toward the ground. "I mean, for whatever you want,"Peter corrected with the barest hint of chastisement, "I told you;you can do whatever want here, Henry-no one is going to tell you "no","

Henry scuffed his foot uncomfortably. "But I told you, I don't want to stay here. My family's coming to get me,"he stated, but it sounded more rehearsed;because the truth was, he was losing hope. Soon he would become a Lost Boy-and he would be lying if he said the idea didn't excite him a little.

* * *

**The** _**Jolly Roger** _

It had been a few hours since Emma had returned to her apartment with her son. They had made plans to meet up the following day to discuss going to the Enchanted Forest. Now Hook was sitting on his bed, just waiting for Pan to make an appearance and his comments on the night's events.

He didn't have to wait very much longer;just as he was starting to drift off, the sound of that familiar sibilant British accent jolted him from his fatigue. "Well done, Captain,"the demon boy congratulated him from the other side of the cabin, pushing himself off of the far wall and sauntering languidly into the light, "You're following the plan perfectly,"

Hook didn't blink as the eternal boy came steadily closer, simply leaning back and letting him do so. "And her parents?Are you actually planning on releasing them when I take her to the Enchanted Forest?"he questioned offhandedly, as if it were a throwaway matter of no real importance, And, to him, it actually wasn't;he was merely curious.

A quiet, spiteful chuckle slipped from Peter's unnaturally pink lips as he continued to advance, lessening the distance between them by the second. "Do you really think that I would ever make things that simple, especially for _her_?"he let out a derisive scoff, "No. I didn't take her family in order to engineer a happy little reunion. When the Saviour reaches her birthplace, I have another nasty surprise in mind for her,"

Strangely, Hook didn't feel any regret or guilt at helping the demon with his "nasty surprise". His tone remained utterly conversational as he posed another question, "And the boy?You know Emma would never let him come with her,"

"Of course not,"Peter whispered as if the topic were old hat, emerald orbs focusing on the pirate's face. His upper lip curled victoriously, "In fact, that's exactly what I'm counting on,"

He cupped the back of Hook's neck almost intimately, brushing his lips teasingly over the other's as he filled his mouth with words, voice husky with unbridled excitement. "She'll do exactly what she does best:abandoning him while she goes off on her quest. She'll be sending him right back where he was always going to end up:in my clutches. And I will blacken his heart until he becomes so lost that he never wants to be found,"

He peered at Hook through his lashes, a dangerous challenge in his eyes, as if he were daring the one-handed man to doubt him. Hook's heart rate sped up as the blonde pressed closer to him, moving in between his spread legs and tugging his head back so that his throat was exposed.

Breath slightly hitched, the pirate responded, "And while you still have his grandparents and his other mother imprisoned?"He inhaled sharply when he felt teeth at the ridge of his neck, stopping just short of breaking the skin. "They're going to be his final test. He's going to help me curse them-and he's not going to regret a thing,"Peter stated firmly, mouth closing over the nape of Killian's neck as he pushed him back onto the bed.

The pirate moaned as Peter sucked on the old hickey, long fingers moving down his chest, just barely scratching at the skin exposed by the opening in his shirt. His hips jerked when the exploratory hand dipped beneath the waistband of his slacks, skimming over his lower stomach.

His hand seized the back of Peter's head, pressing his neck harder against the teen's teeth and not even bothering to pretend that he wasn't enjoying this. "And me?"he asked breathlessly, carrying on their conversation even though he was no longer really interested in talking.

Peter's thin eyebrows waggled suggestively as his dirty blonde locks fell untidily over his forehead, giving him an almost rakish look. "You, captain?"he repeated, rolling Hook's title off of his tongue with a sinuous undercurrent as he slid a knee in between the pirate's thighs.

He leaned over the panting male, looking like a predator about to devour its prey. The hand that wasn't currently down Hook's pants stroked his cheek lightly as he pretended to consider his reply.

Hot breath ghosted over the sensitive flesh of Killian's ear as Peter spoke against it, accent thick with unconcealed lust, "Well, after you've taken the Saviour back home, you're going to do the thing that you so foolishly refused to do the last time I offered to restart our relationship-only this time, I'm changing the target. You're going to kill Snow White," He paused, nipping at the man's bottom lip, "That is, after I finish with you here,"

Without waiting for an answer, he lunged forward and claimed Hook's lips, devouring them with such ferocity that it made the pirate dizzy. It didn't help, either, that, at that exact moment, Peter's hand also closed around his shaft, finding his want blatant and hot.

Killian let out a desperate, needy sound as the demon rubbed his thumb over the veins in his cock, starting to jerk him off while his tongue stabbed in and out of Hook's mouth until it grew numb.

He lost himself completely to the twin pleasures Pan was giving him, letting himself be undone by Pan's kisses and his touches. No one had ever made him lose his control like this;no one could ever make him submit the way he did to Peter Pan.

It was ironic, really;the thing that had lead him here was him falling in love with Emma, the greatest of light. And now, here he was, allowing himself to be dominated by the truly greatest of dark-and loving every minute of it.


	11. Chapter 11

**Neverland**

" _The only person Pan's interested in saving is himself!"_

" _That's not true,"Henry protested valiantly, disbelief etched into every inch of his pre-adolescent features. His heart pulsed in his hand, glowing green with magic and casting an unearthly light over Pan as he moved to block Henry's view of his parents. "Of course it isn't!"he chimed in, putting his hand on the boy's shoulder. Baelfire interrupted before he could say anything more, though._

" _Yes, it is,"Henry's father argued firmly, ignoring the censuring look that Pan shot him, "He can't live without you dying. If you give him your heart, it's gonna kill you," "They're trying to stem your belief, Henry,"the Lost Boys' leader turned back to him, an uncharacteristically earnest expression on his tawny features that belied the dark gleam in his eyes, "But don't let them. Remember, every hero gets tested,"_

_Henry shifted uncomfortably, looking down at the thrumming organ in his hand and then back at his parents. "Henry,"Emma called out to him desperately, trying to get him to see reason, "I know what being a hero looks like and this isn't it,"_

_Pan's withering gaze fell on her next and she wavered slightly, but forced himself to stay focused. Pan wasn't going to hurt any of them-at least, not while Henry was standing right there._

" _Why would they lie?"Henry asked in a pleading stage-whisper, clearly searching for guidance. He didn't know who to believe at this point, or who to trust. He was just being pulled in so many different directions._

_The blonde clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "Because that's what adults do, Henry,"he replied matter-of-factly, enunciating each word as if to ingrain them in Henry's mind, "You know that better than anyone,"_

" _Henry,"Regina interjected for a second time, causing Pan to have to refrain from rolling his eyes, "You have to believe us," "Your parents don't care about Neverland, Henry. They know if you give your heart to save it, then you'll have to stay,"the blonde rebutted as he returned to Henry's side so the boy wouldn't see the disdain on his face when he glared at the Queen, Saviour and Dark One's son, "And they're being selfish because they don't want to lose you,"_

" _Henry, you have to trust us-"Emma started, but Pan cut her off, "Trust? I'm the only one who's ever been honest with you, Henry. The only one who's ever believed in you,"_

_Henry's brain couldn't separate what was truth and what was a lie. Pan definitely believed in him if he thought he could save magic, but was he really the only one?Did his parents really not believe in their son?_

_He didn't want to believe that:he always wanted to believe the best of people-even Peter Pan. So when Pan told him to choose, Henry chose to trust him, turning away from his parents, thinking everything they were saying really was all lies because Pan had told him so._

* * *

**The _Jolly Roger_**

Keeping up his lie for this long had actually been a lot easier than he'd expected it to be;either the Saviour's so-called ''superpower'' was on the fritz or the pirate was just that good. Either way, Hook had Emma exactly where Pan wanted her.

Thanks to the resurrection of the shadow, the _Jolly Roger_ was airborne once again and, thanks to Pan's magic, completely hidden from sight-along with its passengers. The midday sky rushed steadily past them in a blur of clouds and mist and he watched it without blinking, making sure to keep an eye on the direction they were headed,

Emma appeared to remember that she had been aboard his ship before because she still knew where everything was and she didn't ask him what anything was. She was definitely getting her memories back, which meant everything was going completely according to plan.

They'd been traveling for several hours in silence when Emma finally decided to make conversation. She came up next to him, arms crossed uncomfortably over her chest and shoulders slightly hunched, and asked, "So how exactly are we getting to the Enchanted Forest? Doesn't that usually require some sort of portal?"

A grin tugged at the corner of the pirate's mouth at the familiar certainty in her voice. Oh yeah, her memories were definitely returning. "Well remembered, love,"he commended her before actually answering her question, "Yes, usually traveling between realms does require magic to create a portal, but fortunately for us, that isn't the case this time," He lifted his chin, pointing it at the black canvas sail over his head. "That sail has a charm on it that allows me to travel anywhere as long as I know where I'm going,"he explained truthfully.

The blonde looked up at the aforementioned sail, eyes widening fractionally in obvious surprise. "That's new,"she observed in an offhand tone, lowering her gaze to meet his again, "You didn't have that sail before, did you?"

Hook shook his head in a negative response. "Recent addition,"he supplied vaguely, aquamarine orbs flashing imperceptibly. He deliberately left out where the ''recent addition'' had come from and Emma didn't seem to feel the need to pursue the subject any further because she switched topics rather abruptly. "So, the Enchanted Forest. What can I expect to find there?Is it really full of fairy tale characters?"

"You have been there before, but yes, yes, it is,"the pirate confirmed pointedly as he continued to steer them higher into the atmosphere.

There was a brief pause before Emma posed her next question, "And my parents, are they really Snow White and Prince Charming?"she bit her bottom lip tensely, almost as if she were afraid of the answer.

She winced when Hook met her gaze without blinking and responded with an affirmative, "Yes,"

A resigned sigh left the Saviour's lips. She hadn't wanted that to be true;she'd really hoped that that memory was fake. But apparently, she had no such luck.

Inhaling deeply, Emma forced herself to put her misgivings aside and take charge of the situation again. "Okay, so where did whoever kidnapped them take them? You did say you knew where they were,"

"Oh, I know exactly where they are,"Hook said carelessly, "Finding them won't be the problem. No, the real difficulty will be getting them out,"

* * *

**The Enchanted Forest**

Though the royals knew that Graham was one of the ones guarding them, they hadn't seen him since he'd ordered Baelfire, Belle, the Dwarves, Ruby and her grandmother separated from them-so it was a surprise when he strode into their cellblock for a second time, once again with the Black Fairy close at his heels.

Regina spoke before either of them could, brown eyes narrowing with disdain. "What do you want now?Come to taunt us some more?Maybe make some more empty threats?"she sneered to cover up her anxiety;because the truth was, she was dreading whatever the other sorceress had planned for them with this visit. Last time, she'd split them up. What else did she have in store for the captives?

Unfortunately, they didn't have to wait long to find out.

Tamesis' kohl-lined twisted into a spiteful smirk. "Oh I assure you, Regina, none of my threats were empty,"she assured the former queen with feigned politeness. Then her smirk widened, "As for what I want, well, it looks like it's your lucky day," She turned to the Huntsman and ordered him, "Open the cell,"

As Graham and the Lost Boys hastened to obey, a frown of confusion wrinkled Snow White's ivory forehead. "You're letting us go?"she quipped disbelievingly as the iron gate was unlocked, sounding completely nonplussed.

The masked let out a soft, humourless chuckle. "No, not yet, I'm afraid,"she replied cryptically, eyes gleaming with malice. "Then where are you taking us?"Charming piped up suspiciously, gritting his teeth as his arms were wrenched painfully behind his back and he was manhandled out of the cell next to his wife and her step-mother.

He recoiled visibly when the Black Fairy materialized directly in front of him, shadow swirling around her gloved fingers as she brought her lips next to his ear. "Home,"she whispered with a mad sort of glee, frigid breath ghosting over the side of his face and causing him to have to suppress a shiver.

"Wha-?"he started to ask what she meant by that, but a grimy handkerchief was suddenly clamped over his mouth, effectively cutting him off. He thrashed, attempting frantically to dislodge it, but it was covered with some potent gas that was rapidly robbing him of his strength. A minute later, he crumpled to the ground, legs folding gracelessly underneath him and revealing his attacker standing behind him.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty,"the Huntsman bowed mockingly, pulling the grey cloth away from the prince's mouth with a slight flourish. Snow launched herself toward her, crying out in distress, but she was forced back by two of the cloaked boys flanking her. "What did you do to him?"she demanded to know, struggling futilely against her restrainers.

The Black Fairy gave another dark, sinister snicker, eyes practically glowing from within the holes in her winged mask. "The same thing he's going to do to you,"she answered flatly, an instant before Graham turned on the princess, brandishing the poisoned handkerchief.

Snow shook her head desperately, stretching it back to avoid him. "Graham, please don't!"she pleaded valiantly, but it fell on deaf ears and a second later, she slumped over next to her husband.

"Two down, one to go,"Tamesis declared lowly, her smoky jet voids locking onto Regina's bronze orbs. The former queen raised her chin challengingly. "You really think it's going to be that easy to take me down?"she shot at the other female incredulously, as if the idea were ludicrous.

The Black Fairy and her male servant shared a brief, amused look. "Of course not,"the black-haired woman scoffed dismissively, taking a deliberate step forward. Black magic sparked at her fingertips as she pressed hem against Regina's temple. "That's why I cooked up a special enchantment, just for you,"she hissed.

Regina felt the aforementioned lance through her skull like a knife and, with a strangled groan, she, too, collapsed into unconsciousness next to her companions.

Tamesis stepped away once she was satisfied that all three royals had been successfully knocked out. She locked eyes with the former Sheriff of Storybrooke and addressed him once more,"You know where Pan wants them,"

Graham inclined his head and the masked woman watched as the Lost Boys took the prisoners away, upper lip curling with unconcealed mirth.

" _The game is about to change._ "

* * *

**New Jersey, New York**

Henry sat in the back of the car, arms crossed over his chest and lips pursed into a stubborn line. He couldn't believe his mom was sending him off to stay with her friends while she went off to the Enchanted Forest alone. She had said it herself:she wouldn't even be doing this if it wasn't for him-and now she was leaving him behind.

It was just hugely unfair, that's what it was. His mother had already begun to get her memories back, but Henry still felt like he was missing a large chunk of his. And it was definitely a very significant chunk.

His mother's friends were making an attempt to engage him in conversation, but he was too busy stewing to notice. He didn't even like the couple Emma had chosen to babysit him;they were far too strict and proper for his tastes. They didn't even have a child of their own that he could talk to or hang out with. Not that he would even if they did, though;other kids just didn't seem to like him very much for some reason.

His eyes fell shut as his thoughts drifted to the one place he did have a friend. It was a shame that he could only visit Neverland in his dreams;there, he had fun-and there was obviously magic there, too. If he were able to get to Neverland, maybe Peter could figure out a way to help him get the rest of his memories back.

Inwardly, he couldn't help but smile when he thought about his only friend. Peter was, honestly, the only thing keeping him sane in the midst of all of the recent insanity. He also seemed to be the only one who understood Henry's need to remember what he'd been cursed to forget-and his desire to believe that there was more to the world than just what he'd seen in New York and Boston. Moreover, Peter was the only one who actually seemed to believe in Henry, who believed that he would have been an asset instead of a nuisance to Emma in the Enchanted Forest.

It was rather odd that someone he barely knew believed in him more than his own mother did, he observed ruefully.

There was more to it, though. Ever since he'd started going to Neverland in his dreams, he'd found himself growing more and more removed from the real world, to the point where he was almost desperate to leave it and go some place where the things he'd learned in Neverland wouldn't be frowned upon. Hunting, fencing, scavenging, shooting arrows, these things wouldn't really be of all that much use in New York. In a place like the Enchanted Forest, on the other hand, they wouldn't just be useful-they would be necessary for survival.

He remembered how Peter had said that his mother would let him go if she really loved him. She hadn't even given Henry a chance to plead his case, though;she'd just dumped him off with the closest people and taken off. And now Henry didn't feel loved at all;he just felt betrayed and lonely. And lost.

* * *

Henry didn't notice the two boys watching him from across the street as he got out of the car-though, that was most likely because, in their dark cloaks, they blended perfectly into the shadows of the alley.

"You were right,"the taller between them stated out of the corner of his mouth, steel-coloured eyes focused straight ahead beneath the frayed rim of his mottled grey cloak, "She did leave him behind,"

His companions let out a quiet, mirthless laugh. "Did you ever doubt me, Felix?"he commented archly, leaning back against the brick wall. There was a faint flash of acid green as he added in a smug tone, "She did exactly what adults always do:let their children down. And now all that is left will be for me to pick up the pieces,"

The shorter swivelled his head around to toss a glance at Felix over his shoulder, "You remember what you have to do while I'm away?"

Felix inclined his half-hidden head in an affirmative, "Yes,"

"Good,"the brown-cloaked boy said with satisfaction, silken lips curling into a sneer, "Because I think it's time Henry's mother learned the consequences for crossing Peter Pan,"


	12. Chapter 12

**The Enchanted Forest**

The familiar evergreen trees and grasslands were steadily coming into view as Emma returned from belowdecks, bundling her red trenchcoat tight around her lean form. She scanned the terrain curiously, noting the change from the smoky blackness that had filled the border between the worlds.

"Is this it, then?The Enchanted Forest?"she asked her companion carefully as her eyes roamed over their new surroundings. It was a rhetorical question, though, because she was pretty sure she already knew the answer.

From beside her, Hook inclined his head in confirmation of her assumption. "This is our destination. Well, actually,"he lifted his good hand off of the helm to point toward the ruins of a silver castle that loomed over the edge of the woods, " _That_ is our destination. Your parents were taken into that castle as a bit of irony, I imagine,"

Emma raised an eyebrow at that odd comment. "Why is that ironic?"she wondered shrewdly, hands retreating into the pockets of her wool coat.

"Well, that was your parents' castle until the curse that took them to the real world hit,"the pirate explained matter-of-factly as he carefully started to steer the ship closer to the ground, "And the dungeon cells were spelled to keep even the most powerful prisoners from escaping,"

"And now they're the ones being kept down there,"the Saviour finished for him, understanding dawning on her ivory features. She wondered if her parents' captors were keeping them in their own dungeon purely for the poetic irony.

Silence descended over them for a few minutes while they flew over the trees and came steadily nearer to the crumbling castle. It wasn't until they were almost right next to it, though, that either of them noticed that the castle grounds weren't as deserted as they first appeared.

Standing in a circle around the tallest tower, carrying long, curved black spears, were a procession of males in dark, frayed cloaks. The thing that stood out about them, though, was that they all seemed to be in their teens and not a day older. All except for one man, who was positioned at their center.

Emma's focus lasered in on that man, eyes narrowing in mixed anger and confusion. Anger, because she had a feeling that this man was the one who had kidnapped her parents;confusion, because she could have sworn that she knew him from somewhere.

She leaned over the side of the ship to get a closer look, and the more she saw of the man, the more familiar he seemed. She recognized his wavy bronze hair and beard and the leather jacket;she just couldn't pinpoint where from.

The ship steadily continued to lose altitude and Emma continued to stare at the brown-haired man, gnawing on her bottom lip in frustration. "Who are they?"she finally decided to ask, directing her index finger at the cloaked boys.

Hook followed her finger and sighed when he saw who she meant. "The Lost Ones,"he responded grimly, knuckles whitening slightly. He nodded at the sword he'd given Emma before they'd set out on this trip, "It's too late to avoid them, so you might want to get ready for a fight,"

When Emma looked askance at the idea of fighting teenagers, he added bluntly, "They're a lot more dangerous than they look, trust me. They nearly killed me when I tried to stop them from taking your parents, Swan,"

That got rid of Emma's reservations and she drew the sword she'd harnessed at her back, gripping it tightly. She didn't know that she still knew how to use it, but it looked like she was about to find out.

The second the _Jolly Roger_ landed, they were instantly surrounded by the hooded males with spears being jabbed threateningly in their faces.

"We've been waiting for you, Emma,"the man in the leather jacket greeted her in a mockingly cordial tone as he moved to the front of the queue, tapping the steel blade of his sword against his shoulder, "Welcome home,"

Emma frowned as his Irish accent filled her ears. Why did she know this man?Who was he?

She lifted her eyes to meet his icy blue ones and a name fell from her lips. "Graham?"she said in a tentative, shocked tone, not even sure that that was actually his name.

Apparently, it was, because he tilted his head forward in a false bow. "I'd love to chat and catch up, but there's someone else who wants to see you,"he all but sneered, lifting his sword and aiming the tip at her throat. He snapped his fingers at the Lost Ones before commanding them, "Take her,"

The cloaked boys converged on Emma from all sides, seizing her by the elbows. She did her best to fight them off, but she was out of practice and they were able to easily disarm her and force her to her knees.

She cried out when she felt a stabbing pain in the side of her neck and her vision suddenly began to blur. The strength began to seep out of her limbs and she began to sway;that was when she knew she had been drugged.

The last thing she saw was Graham's distinctly wolfish grin looming over her. Then, five seconds later, her cheek hit the grass and everything faded to black.

* * *

_As Hook sailed his ship through the reach between worlds, he wondered how exactly things were going to play out once he brought the Saviour back to the Enchanted Forest, Pan had explicitly stated that he wasn't going to make it easy for Emma to get her family back, but he hadn't elaborated on exactly how difficult he planned to make it._

_That was the thing about Pan's games, though;you never knew all of the rules until he wanted you to. And in this game, it didn't look as though Pan wanted anyone to know all of the rules yet-not even the players on his side._

_He wasn't going to make this simple for any of them._

_A sudden violent gust of wind blew through the sails of the_ Jolly Roger _and then, Hook heard the familiar rushing sound that usually preceded someone teleporting. And the pirate had a pretty good idea who._

" _You convinced the Saviour to come with you even faster than I expected,"the familiar British accent punctuated the air, speaking from directly behind him._

_Hook relaxed at the recognizable tone and responded without turning around. "She knows me,"he stated flatly, lifting one of his leather-clad shoulders in a shrug, "She knows I wouldn't lie about something as serious as her family being in danger,"_

_He was proud to say that he didn't even flinch when Pan reappeared in front of him, a mirthless smirk tugging at his pink lips. "She trusts you because she doesn't have a choice-and maybe because she still has feelings for you,"the boy added that last part almost as an afterthought, chuckling slightly._

_He stepped closer, brushing a knuckle over the underside of Hook's chin. "But that's fine. I can work with that;playing on people's emotions is, after all, one of my specialities."_

_The pirate couldn't disagree with that. He was a prime example of Pan's skill at toying with people's emotions._

_His eyes followed the demon boy closely as Peter moved away from him again, long fingers tapping idly in the air in front of his face. "When you get to the Enchanted Forest, you're going to need to get out of the way for a little while,"Peter spoke again after a moment's silence, halting his pacing to face Hook again._

_He rubbed his thumb and forefinger together and a long, brown silk cloak materialized in his hand, which he then held out to the pirate, "My Lost Boys are going to going to take the Saviour to the Dark One's cell so I can have a little chat with her. You can use this to get away form them and come back to your ship while that happens,"_

_Hook came out from behind the helm of his ship to take the offered cloak, brows lifting when he saw that it was exactly his size. "And I can say that I took it from your boys if Emma asks how I got away,"he added thoughtfully, recognizing the genius of Pan's plan. He swung the material over his shoulders to try it on and was surprised to find that his body seemed to melt completely into the midnight backdrop._

" _An invisibility cloak,"Pan clarified for him before he could ask, fingers tracing the cloak's collar. He met Hook's shocked gaze with an amused gleam in his emerald orbs. "Perfect for getting_ lost _,"he whispered almost seductively, tugging the pirate forward until their foreheads were nearly touching._

_His hand rose to grip Hook's chin, lifting it but Hook met him halfway, cupping the back of Pan's head and pressing their lips together. He was already lost-and he definitely didn't want to be found._

* * *

Emma was jolted out of unconsciousness by what sounded strangely like crying. Her blue eyes flew open and she blinked rapidly, attempting to see through the gloom;darkness pressed down on her from all sides and all that was visible was the gritty stone she was lying on.

She sat up, groping through the darkness for the sword that Hook had given her. When her hand closed around the cool metal, she gripped it like a lifeline and returned to trying to gauge her location.

As if reading her mind, flames suddenly sprang to life atop the torches lining the walls and revealed that she was in a dungeon of some sort. And that she wasn't alone.

There was an uncannily familiar boy standing at the other end of the chamber, in front of the two empty, iron-barred cells. The Saviour stood carefully, edging closer to try and figure out why she recognized this boy, just as she had recognized Graham.

It wasn't until she caught sight of his dark, forest green eyes and that devilish smirk that she was able to remember where she knew him from. And the second she did, it all came rushing back;everything she had been made to forget, including this boy's identity and the first time they had met.

" _You hear that, too."_

_Emma whipped around at the sound of that British accent, aiming her sword at its source, which turned out to be a teenage boy leaning up against a nearby tree. "You're Emma, right?"the boy spoke again, leg jiggling slightly as he pushed himself forward. He cast a cursory glance over at her sleeping companions, "I wonder why they can't hear the crying,"_

" _Who are you?"Emma shot at him suspiciously, brows furrowing._

_The boy's dirty blonde eyebrows lifted. "Oh, did I forget to introduce myself?"he chuckled, grin appearing, tooth by tooth, "I'm Peter. Peter Pan,"_

"Pan,"she hissed as the immortal stepped into the light to greet her, the flames making his windswept hair appear almost gold.

Pan flashed her that familiar boyish grin, eyes glimmering like sea glass. "Welcome back, Saviour,"he returned her less-than-friendly greeting in a charming tone. He gave a soft snicker when Emma pointed her sword more vehemently at him. "Glad to see you remember me."

"Where are David and Mary Margaret?"Emma cut him off, sharply, slamming him back against the iron bars and pressing her sword against his throat.

He didn't appear the least bit concerned, however;he merely chuckled. "You've still got fire."

"Where are my parents?"Emma demanded fiercely, paying the odd comment even less attention than she had the first time she'd heard it.

" _Where's Henry?"Emma asked lowly, holding the boy up against the tree with an arm across his chest. Pan's eyes flashed excitedly. "You've got fire,"he commented with a quiet chuckle, "I like fire,"_

" _Where is my son?"_

"David and Mary Margaret are still alive, if that's what you're worried about,"the eternal boy replied vaguely, deliberately not answering her question.

Emma glared at him stonily, her blood pounding in her ears. "Why the hell did you take them?"she asked in a strained voice, doing her best not to let her fear show. Her knuckles whitened on the handle of her sword as she held it under Pan's chin;she didn't think she could actually hurt him with it, but it at least helped her pretend that she had the upper hand.

" _Why the hell did you take him?"_

" _He's a very special boy, Emma,"Pan answered in a conversational tone, as if they were merely discussing the weather._

_Emma huffed. "I know. That doesn't answer my question;what do_ you _want with him?"she pressed irritably, unwilling to let herself to be distracted._

The demon met her furious gaze without blinking, completely unfazed by her obvious ire.

" _I came here to see who I was up against. The Saviour,"the boy sneered her title with a slight roll of his eyes, making it sound like an amusing pet name, instead of a title to be feared and respected, "Got to say, I'm not disappointed,"_

"I came here to see how you've lived since your _triumph_ over the _evil_ Peter Pan,"the immortal said instead of answering this time, brows quirking arrogantly as he raked a disparaging glance over her, "Got to say, I'm disappointed. I thought you'd be a lot more, ah, _impressive_ ,"

Emma lifted her chin indignantly, beating back the flush that threatened to creep up her cheeks. "What are you going to say now?You going to tell me that I'm never going to see my parents again?"she queried archly,acting as if that wasn't exactly what she was dreading he was going to say.

Pan's upper lip curled. "There are consequences for breaking my rules, Emma. You should know that by now,"he mock chided, clicking his tongue as if he were disappointed in her. "Thanks to your cheating, a whole new game has begun-and this time, you're the one who's going to have to make all of the hard choices,"

Emma backed off at the dangerous undercurrent she detected in his tone and he grinned wider, showing his sharp, pointed teeth. "What is that supposed to mean?"she quipped with forced calm, forehead creasing.

The eternal boy took a step forward, invading her personal space until they were nearly nose-to-nose. "I told you:cheaters never win,"he whispered with unconcealed malice. His eyes performed the smallest flicker toward her hand and caught it shaking. "Send my regards to Henry,"he finished by way of a farewell before vanishing in a rush of air.

Emma's mind raced, his parting words ringing in her ears. _Henry_. Suddenly, this whole thing made perfect sense.

She had to get back to New York right away.

* * *

**New Jersey, New York**

The sound jolted Henry awake at just past midnight. He had been hearing it all night, but it was only now that it became impossible to ignore.

He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand and looking around for the source of the noise. A frown wrinkled his forehead as it got steadily louder-and clearer;it sounded almost like...crying. There was no way that that was coming from inside the house;the couple he was staying with didn't have any children, and they didn't really have any neighbours.

A part of his mind told him to just go back to bed and forget about it, but something else stopped him from doing that-and that was the fact that he seemed to be the only one who could hear the crying. His frown deepened and he swung his legs over the side of the bed, pushing back the covers. He had to find out why.

Bypassing his slippers, Henry slid his feet into his sneakers and grabbed his navy blue coat off of his bedpost, heading for the open window next to his bed. It was a good thing that the guest bedroom was on the first floor.

He climbed gingerly out of the window, taking care to make as little noise as possible. Once out on the street, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and began scanning his surroundings for whatever could be making that crying noise.

He froze when his gaze fell on a boy in a mottled grey cloak watching him from across the road. An oddly familiar grey-cloaked boy.

Henry made a beeline straight for the alley the boy was standing in;the closer he got, the more he recognized the cloaked boy. He was just having trouble remembering where he knew him from.

When the two of them were face-to-face, Henry looked up and saw the angry red scar that bisected the left side of the taller boy's face. "I know you, don't I?"the brunette was the first one to speak, lifting his chin so that he could meet the other's pale, insipid eyes.

The boy inclined his hooded head, the barest trace of a smile crossing his bloodless lips. "Felix,"he reminded Henry of his name in an amiable tone-or as amiable a tone as he was capable of, anyways.

The second he said his name, everything clicked into place for Henry-and his jaw dropped open. This was _Felix-_ Peter Pan's right-hand man. A Lost Boy was here, in New Jersey, talking to Henry for real,

He really, really hoped that this wasn't a dream.

Hardly daring to believe his eyes and ears, Henry took a deep breath to try and calm himself before asking, "H-how are you here? _Why_ are you here?"

Felix let out a soft chuckle at his awed expression, answering in just as calm a tone. "Pan wanted me to come here and make you an offer," He paused, seeing Henry's eyes light up slightly at the mention of his leader.

The brunette lifted an eyebrow. "Oh?"he quipped curiously, voice literally trembling with excitement. He nearly whooped when Felix offered him the last thing he'd ever expected: "How would you like to see Neverland for real?"

Henry didn't even pretend to think about it before giving his response. "I'd like nothing better,"he said truthfully, taking the hooded boy's outstretched arm and vanishing with him into the cloudy night.


	13. Chapter 13

**New Jersey, New York**

The events of her trip to the Enchanted Forest were playing over and over again inside Emma's head as she sat in the back of the cab, on her way to go and pick up Henry from her friends' house. That wasn't the only thing on her mind, though;all of her previously lost memories had returned-and that changed everything.

The last year of her life now seemed like nothing more than a dream-a really good dream that she'd been rudely awoken from. She didn't blame Hook, though;he was only trying to help her family. No, the person she blamed was Pan-for he had been the one to start all of this in the first place.

Seeing him in the Dark One's cell after thinking he was dead and forgetting who he was had shaken her. She had seen him get stabbed, after all, but he'd appeared perfectly fine while mocking and baiting her in the Enchanted Forest. She knew he was the one who had kidnapped her parents now-what she didn't understand is what game he was playing now. Last time, it had been about taking Henry's heart, but this time, this time it had to be something even more diabolical for him to take her entire family.

Leaning back in her seat, she pinched the bridge of her nose. Maybe she should have taken Hook up on that offer to stay a couple more hours on the _Jolly Roger_ to sleep off the remaining shock of getting her memories back, but she wanted to see Henry. She needed to apologize for going without him and, more importantly, she needed to warn him that Pan was alive and at large again. Of course, she'd have to remind him who Pan was first.

The cab pulled up in front of her friends' house and Emma paid the driver, getting out and slamming the door behind her. It was as the cab was driving away that she noticed something strange:all of the lights were off inside the house, but their car was in the driveway.

Emma's brows furrowed and she started up the walkway leading to the entrance, which was where she noticed another odd thing:their front door was open and there were dark red footprints leading toward it.

Her frown deepened with trepidation. Oh, she had a _bad_ feeling about this.

Heart racing, she stepped over the threshold and entered the house with her gun drawn. "Henry?"she called out tensely, flicking the lights on in the front hallway. As soon as the lights came on, though, she wished she hadn't.

The grey tiles were covered in crimson stains and a thin layer of dust, as if no one had been there for several days. And the footprints that trailed off in the direction of the door weren't like any footwear Emma recognized, which made her pretty sure that they didn't belong to any of the house's residents.

She undid the safety of her pistol and began to trace the bloody prints back to their origination, keeping her guard up and her eyes peeled for any sign of her son. The prints lead her into the guest bedroom where her friends' bodies lay, pale and spread-eagled on the floor.

Violent slashes covered their corpses and Emma nearly dropped her gun at the horrific sight. What was more, this was where Henry had been staying;she knew because all of his stuff was still inside the room. It was all layered with dust, too, as if it hadn't been touched in awhile-just like the rest of the house.

The Saviour swallowed hard, feeling her stomach churn as she scanned the bedroom for any clue as to who-or what had killed her friends and taken Henry. The wounds on her friends' bodies were deep and methodical and looked as if they had been inflicted with a serrated blade of some sort. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that the wounds on their chests were large, gaping holes where their hearts were-or, rather, where they had been.

She clapped a hand over her mouth, feeling bile rising in the back of her throat. Who could have done this?And what had they done with her son?

As if in answer to her thoughts, her eyes fell on a folded sheet of paper left on Henry's torn pillow. She crossed the room and unfolded it carefully, expecting to see a note from her friends' murderer.

Instead, when she unfolded the piece of parchment, she saw a map of the United States with all sorts of cryptic markings on it, especially around the Maine area where Storybrooke had been. As she scrutinized the map, she did find a note taped to the bottom, written in what she hoped to God was red ink.

She detached the note from the bottom and turned on the bedside lamp so that she could read it. " _This map will lead you to your parents, but not to your son. Let's find out who's more important to you, Saviour. Game on._

_-P.P._ "

She read the words out loud, hackles rising more and more with each syllable. It didn't take her long to figure out what the note was saying. This was her new test:choosing between saving her parents and her son. "P.P" was Peter Pan-and this was his new game.

* * *

**The _Jolly Roger_**

It was an interesting thing, but Hook was starting actually to get used to Pan's sporadic visits to his ship. He hadn't been expecting one while in the Enchanted Forest, but he'd been expecting one as soon as he'd returned. And he wasn't disappointed.

He'd walked Emma back to her apartment and when he came back, he found the demon boy waiting for him, perched languidly next to the helm of his ship. His green eyes glimmered as the captain crossed the deck to stand in front of him.

"How was your trip?"Peter greeted him smilingly, brows lifting in amusement-and Hook felt a tug at his lips in response. "Depends on who you ask,"he lifted one of his leather-clad shoulders in an offhand shrug, "I daresay the Saviour didn't find it very enjoyable, but me, I found it rather...exhilarating,"

His heart rate still sped up slightly when the air rushed and Peter reappeared inches away from him, smile steadily growing to bare his vaguely fang-like teeth. "How did the cloak I gave you work?"he asked, fingers idly tracing the collar of Killian's coat.

The pirate lifted his chin so those fingers could journey higher, pretending to consider for a moment before replying, "Perfectly. No less than I'd expected," He heard the blonde let out a low chuckle as his nails dug into the nape of Hook's neck. "And the Saviour didn't suspect anything?"

When Hook shook his head, Peter's upper lip curled in obvious disdain. "Her so-called ''superpower'' must be failing her,"he commented mockingly, rolling his eyes as he pushed a hand into Hook's hair, "Otherwise, she would have seen that you're only pretending to be on her side,"

He yanked Hook's face forcefully closer to his own, teeth snapping down on the skin closest-which happened to be Hook's bottom lip. "She would have known that you're _mine_ ,"he finished in a possessive hiss, claiming Hook's mouth with a scalding intensity.

Hook tangled his good hand in Peter's dark blonde locks as his mouth was devoured. His mind spun and he pulled Peter closer, eager for more.

Relishing his submission, the immortal snickered softly, tongue tracing the seam of Hook's lips. "And now that she trusts you, I think it's time that we put that trust to the test,"he intoned huskily, watching the pirate through his lashes.

Hook met his flashing emerald orbs, his own aquamarine ones hazy with lust-and something else. "And how would you like me to do that?"he queried roughly, hand sliding down to Peter's narrow shoulder.

Malice burned in Peter's eyes as they turned into twin balls of acid fire. His grip on Hook's hair tightened as he answered the pirate's question. "You're going to do what I told you before you left on your little quest:you're going to kill her mother. And you're going to make an example out of her,"

It didn't even occur to Hook to protest. He didn't even think he wanted to.

* * *

**Manhattan, New York**

Once again, Snow White found herself waking up somewhere with no idea how she had gotten there-only this time, she wasn't with her family. That wasn't to say that the face staring down at her wasn't a familiar one-it was just one she hadn't expected to see ever again.

"Hook?"the princess said carefully, blinking to clear the fog from her eyes. She sat up slowly, holding her head;whatever Graham had drugged her with didn't appear to have completely worn off yet. "What are you doing here?And where is here, anyways? What's going on?"she asked in a strained voice, trying in vain to conceal her fear.

She saw the pirate's lips twitch slightly before he answered. "Welcome back to the real world, love,"he replied in curiously close to a sneer, "You're in Manhattan-though soon you won't be anywhere at all,"

Snow opened her mouth to ask him what he meant, but the words died in her throat when Hook stepped out of the shadows and she saw how much he had changed since she'd last seen him. His hair was wilder and slightly darker;he wore a long, brown velvet cloak that reached all the way down to his ankles and a black scarf was wrapped around his neck-but the most startling change was the look in his crystal blue eyes.

There was no longer even the faintest trace of good humour in them-only an icy cruelty that she recognized from when he'd been trying to kill Rumplestiltskin. This wasn't the man who had saved her husband's life and fallen in love with her daughter;this was the ruthless, murderous, self-serving scoundrel. This was the pirate.

She pushed herself back as Hook advanced toward her. "What are you talking about?What happened to you?"she queried once she found her voice again, pitch barely above a whisper as she continued to retreat from her former ally.

Hook gave a low, sinister chuckle, halting his strides and raking a slow, almost predatory look over her petite form. "Nothing happened to me,"he responded carelessly, eyes flashing dangerous beneath his copper lashes, "I just realized that I am and always will be a pirate and-"

"I don't believe that,"Snow cut him off sharply and with surprising vehemence. She looked him straight in the eyes even as she continued to back away from him, "I thought you wanted to be a hero. I thought you'd gone and changed,"

The cloaked man rolled his eyes expressively. "I tried the hero gig. It didn't take,"his lips twisted crookedly as he knelt in front of her, lifting her chin with the tip of his hook.

"Besides, the only reason I gave being a hero a shot was for your daughter, but it got me nowhere,"he hissed acidly, dragging his weapon down the princess's white neck, smirk turning cruel when red droplets began to form on the surface.

He leaned in until their noses were nearly touching, aquamarine orbs aflame with rancour. "She was willing to let me sacrifice everything for her without giving anything in return,"he paused, pushing his deadly hand into Snow's chest, making her yelp in pain, "So now I'm going to take everything away from her,"

He gave a vicious grin before he plunged his hook into Snow's chest cavity, splitting the skin and eliciting a bloodcurdling scream that sounded like music to his ears. He pulled back, finding the woman's heart stuck on the end of the curved metal.

He took it into his gloved hand, watching it thrum and pulse with interest. It was so bright and pure;so full of goodness. He knew that if he crushed it, that would be the final straw;he would make the final slide into total darkness with no more chance of redemption. Yet, that didn't give him any pause.

Lips pulling back to bare his teeth, the pirate squeezed his hand and crushed the glowing organ into dust without hesitation. He felt absolutely no remorse when he watched Snow White fold in on herself, the life draining out of her body with alarming speed.

"I'll send Emma your regards."he whispered into the dead girl's ears, closing her eyes for her before getting to his feet. Inhaling deeply, he brushed off the front of his cloak and then walked out of the door.

* * *

**Neverland**

_Henry grunted as he and the red-cloaked Lost Boy fell through the gap in the trees and hit the dirt, rolling until leaves were stuck to their clothes. He took a second to gain his bearings before scrambling to his feet while the other boy followed suit._

" _See, if you believe, anything is possible,"he declared positively once the blonde stood;he was still slightly winded from their flying trip, but managed to hold his smile, nevertheless._

_A sudden malevolent gleam entered the other's forest green eyes as they met his wide hazel ones. "You couldn't be more right, Henry,"he responded in an almost sinister tone, full lips twisting._

_The use of his first name made the shorter boy freeze in fear and the smile slid off of his face like Stinksap(_ referencing Harry Potter) _"How-how'd you know my name?I never told you,"he stated warily,gaze darkening with suspicion._

_The other boy continued to smirk, tilting his head to the side in a deceptively innocent gesture. "Let's make it a game,"he replied evasively, accent thick with what was obviously amusement, "A puzzle to be solved,"_

_There was no puzzle, though. Henry knew exactly what was going on;he backed away from his companion. "You lied to me! You_ are _a Lost Boy. You work for Pan,"he accused angrily, betrayal clear in his tone._

_The blonde lifted his chin, "Not exactly," He took a deliberate step closer to the brunette, boring holes into his bronze orbs. "I_ am _Peter Pan,"he introduced himself smugly, enunciating each word._

_Henry retreated a step further at that revelation, hardly daring to believe it as he looked over the teen in the grimy cargoes, cloak and scarf. Shaking his head in fierce denial, he burst out in confusion, "But you told Greg and Tamara that magic was bad and you'd help them destroy it, why?!"_

" _Because I needed their help,"Pan answered as if that justified everything. His brows lowered as he continued, "And it is so much easier to get people to_ hate _something than to believe,"_

_Henry stared at him in horror, unable to comprehend his reasons. "Why did you bring me here?"he questioned tensely, not sure that Pan would actually answer-and even less sure that he wanted him to._

_His eyes followed Pan carefully as the other boy began to pace around him, like a predator circling its prey. "For quite some time, I've sought something extremely important;something more elusive than the greatest of all mysteries."_

" _What?"Henry quipped uneasily, turning his head so as to not take his eyes off of Pan as the blonde continued to saunter around him. A frown wrinkled his forehead when Pan told him._

" _The heart of the Truest Believer. And when you took that pixie dust, Henry, and jumped off that cliff,"he paused for a brief second, knocking on the gnarled roots of a tree before pointing a slender finger at Henry as he finished his explanation, "You proved yourself. You are the lucky owner of that very special heart-and now, you, and it, are mine,"_

_His smirk turned crooked as he drew a dagger from beneath his dark red cloak and raised it above his head. "Come on, boys!"he called out into the night, eyes glowing emerald fire._

_Henry felt his stomach drop as familiar hooded figures began to appear out of the jungle, surrounding him in a tight ring with Pan right in the middle. Pan advanced in an almost languid manner, invading his personal space so he could see the bestial gleam in those unearthly eyes as he uttered two words that made the hairs on the back of Henry's neck stand on end:_

" _Let's play."_

* * *

**Neverland**

When they re-materialized, Henry thought he was seeing things, because all around him was the island he had come to know and love so well.

Neverland.

He blinked rapidly, hardly daring to believe his eyes. Neverland was real-and he was there. This was just...unreal.

As if things couldn't get any better, at that particular moment, a startlingly familiar lilting British accent broke into his reverie. "Well done, Felix. I knew I could count on you to bring him safely here."

Though the voice wasn't directly addressing him, Henry looked up, anyways, unable to resist the lure of seeing the speaker in the flesh for the first time.

Peter looked somehow even more unearthly than in Henry's dreams as he sauntered into the same campsite that Henry had appeared at in every visit. Everything about him was sharper, clearer and more striking, even the faint smudge of dirt on his smooth, right cheek and especially his simmering sea green eyes.

The blonde's gaze fell on him after Felix inclined his head in acknowledgment of the praise. "Welcome back to Neverland, Henry,"Peter said amiably, smiling as he clapped Henry on the shoulder like an old friend-which he was. He waited for his greeting to sink in before adding, "For real this time."

Henry couldn't help but stare, feeling slightly starstruck. He'd never in a million years thought that he'd be able to get here to Neverland, and to be able to meet Peter Pan in person. It was simply all too much to handle all at once.

Peter squeezed his shoulder reassuringly, not seeming at all disheartened by his lack of response. On the contrary, he appeared almost amused. "All of the other boys had pretty much the same reaction the first time they came here outside of their dreams;I don't blame them,"he shrugged it off carelessly, locking eyes over the top of Henry's head with his second-in-command for a brief instant.

He looked back down at the brunette after a second, brows quirking faintly at Henry's mesmerized expression. "So, what do you think?Is it everything you thought it would be"he questioned slyly, spreading his arms to gesture at their surroundings.

Henry nodded, hardly able to speak. "And more,"he replied in confirmation, mouth still hanging open in obvious awe.

A soft chuckle slipped from Peter's curved lips as he stepped away from his shorter companion. "Excellent,"he commented with satisfaction, eyes gleaming beneath his long lashes, "We're glad to have you, but, if you don't mind me asking, what brings you here, Henry?I'd have thought you'd be off on your quest with your mother in the Enchanted Forest to rescue your grandparents by now,"

That finally succeeded in jerking Henry out of his stupour. A dark cloud fell over his boyish features as his thoughts returned to why he'd decided to come here. "My mom wouldn't let me come with her,"he stated with unconcealed disappointment and spite, crossing his arms over his small chest. "She didn't even give me a chance to explain why I wanted to go. She just abandoned me while she went off with Captain Hook,"

Peter nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry, Henry,"he apologized in a much more sober tone, expression morphing into an uncharacteristically serious one, "I know how important going there and maybe getting your memories back was to you. Your mother should have seen that;she shouldn't have left you behind,"

Henry took a deep, measured breath, hanging onto Peter's every word with a sort of fervour that he'd never expressed for anyone before. Peter was like the older brother he'd never had;he'd just perfectly articulated all of Henry's feelings about his mother going to the Enchanted Forest without him. And he wasn't done talking, either.

"There is a silver lining, however, Henry,"he pointed out positively, smile returning slightly, "Your mother leaving brought you here and I just happen to have the magic needed to give your memories back,"

Henry's brown orbs widened at that. He met Peter's emerald gaze hopefully. "Could you really do that?Break whatever curse that took my memories away?"he queried curiously, not sure if he really believed that or not.

The immortal boy arched a dark blonde eyebrow in an almost incredulous manner. "I may not be the most well-behaved boy on the island, but I always keep my promises-and Peter Pan never fails,"he told Henry firmly, leaving no room for doubts, "But the real question is, are you prepared for whatever you were made to forget? Do you think you can handle whatever breaking this curse will unleash?It's your choice, Henry,"

Henry bit his bottom lips, forehead creasing as he contemplated those questions. _Was_ he ready to see all of the things that the barriers around his memories had hidden from him? _Did_ he think he could handle it?

"Yes,"he decided after a few moments' consideration, setting his jaw. He had to do this whether he was ready for it or not, because without all of his memories, he didn't feel whole. He felt lost-and he needed that to change. Inhaling deeply, he nodded once, giving Peter the go-ahead, "Do it, please,"

Peter seemed to accept his choice because he stepped forward again, summoning his magic with a snap of his slender fingers. His hands steadily began to glow and he steadily placed them on either side of Henry's head. "This may hurt a bit,"he warned before pressing his thumbs in the boy's temples forcefully.

Henry cried out suddenly as he was hit by a barrage of image. White-hot pain sliced through his skull as the images flashed before his eyes;him in a dark cloak like the one Felix wore, him shooting arrows at trees with other cloaked boys, him sleeping in a tent in this very campsite.

He gripped Peter's hands on his head as more and more memories entered his head, all clamouring to be acknowledged. He felt the hole inside of him slowly being filled by their cumulative effect and gradually, he began to feel whole again.

When the pain finally resided and Peter had removed his hands. Henry was on his knees in the dirt, eyes screwed shut and breathing shallow. The blonde knelt down in front of him with a concerned expression. "Are you all right, Henry?"he asked in an undertone, placing a hand on the boy's upper arm.

Henry carefully opened his bronze orbs to Peter's now easily recognizable face and a grin broke on his own visage. "Better than all right,"he assured the leader of the Lost Boys honestly. No, Peter wasn't just the Lost Boys's leader. He was Henry's leader as well. "Pan."

Peter's eyes gleamed when he caught the familiarity and the deference in Henry's tone. His spell had worked perfectly.

"Welcome home, Henry,"he amended his earlier greeting with extremely convincing relied, getting to his feet. "It's good to have you back."


	14. Chapter 14

**The Remains of Storybrooke**

_After the second curse was enacted by the demon known as Peter Pan, the fairy tale town was destroyed. The memories remained, but the town itself was no more-never to be seen again._

_It had been a home for its inhabitants. Now it was once again a cage._

Peter perched on the lip of the cobbled clock tower, face half-shielded by a large black cloak and clutching a familiar wavy-bladed jet dagger in his gloved hand. And he wasn't alone, either. At least, not for long.

He held the glimmering dagger up horizontally in front of him as he declared in a quiet, yet carrying voice, "I summon thee, _Dark One_ ,"

His sibilant British accent triggered a rush of black smoke, preceding the appearance of a short, impish creature at his left. "You summoned me?"it spoke deferentially, bowing its head in a subservient gesture.

The corners of the immortal's silken lips twitched. "You have the power to rebuild this town from the ashes-and you're going to do exactly that,"he commented, looking more demonic than ever with the shadow the moonlight cast over his tawny features.

The Dark One tilted his head forward in wordless acquiescence before teleporting down into what had once been the town square to fulfill his orders.

Peter watched with satisfaction as he summoned the full extent of his dark power and a mix of fine green and purple smoke began to permeate the night air. The ground rumbled beneath them as it spread as far as the eye could see, magic thick like acid.

Buildings, familiar buildings began to spring like daisies from the asphalt, accompanied by street signs, trees, field and roads. Street lamps curved over the roads and telephone poles stationed themselves next to sidewalks and in front of suburban houses.

Bit by bit, the town once known as Storybrooke returned to existence, just as enigmatic and unplottable as it had been before. There was only one difference;now, it was empty.

But it wouldn't be for long.

Peter leaped nimbly from the clock tower down into the town's apex as two other hooded boys and a third, unconscious man joined he and Rumplestiltskin. The cloaked figures hauled their prisoner forward, pulling him up by the hair when they stopped in front of Peter so their leader could see his face.

Their leader turned to Rumplestiltskin, upper lip curling with pure, unconcealed vindictiveness. "Say ''welcome back'' to your son, Rumple,"the demon said mockingly, flicking his slender fingers at the comatose male, "This is going to be his new home now,"

* * *

**New York City, New York**

Emma sat in her kitchen, the map Pan had left on the table in front of her and a cup of coffee in her shaking hand. She still couldn't believe Henry was gone-she couldn't believe that Pan had taken him again.

She bit her bottom lip tensely to keep from crying. She was alone;Pan had taken everyone from her. Her parents, Henry, Neal. The only person she had left was...

Her musings were interrupted by the sound of someone knocking tentatively on her door. She rose unsteadily to her feet, setting her untouched coffee back down on the table before going to answer it.

When she pulled the door open, Hook was standing there with a suitably somber expression on his scruffy face. "I'm sorry, Swan,"he sympathized, stepping inside and resting his good hand comfortingly on her shoulder.

In an uncharacteristic gesture of vulnerability, she gripped his wrist before throwing herself into his arms. "I lost him again,"she cursed in a distraught tone, voice fracturing with the effort it took to keep from crying, "I've lost them all,"

The pirate shifted his hand to awkwardly to pat her on the back, unsure of how exactly to console her. It had been a long time since he'd actually cared enough to comfort a woman.

"I know,"he attempted a soothing tone, gingerly extricating himself from her hold and replacing his one hand on her right shoulder, "But we'll get them back. That's what I'm here for;I know Pan best, after all,"

Emma nodded slowly, inhaling deeply to try and regain her composure. When she was back in control, she carefully shook off the pirate's hand and took charge. "You're the best authority on maps, too, right?"she quipped pointedly, beckoning him to follow her inside.

She gestured to the length of parchment that covered the surface of her kitchen table. "Pan left me that to help me find my parents,"she explained when Hook arched one of his thick, dark eyebrows at the map, "He said I had to choose between finding them-and finding Henry, because the map will only lead me to them,"

Hook couldn't help but give a rueful smile. Pan really knew how to make his opponents squirm. "He's a clever devil, I'll give him that. He certainly know you wouldn't leave any member of your family in his clutches, or your friends,"

Emma started. "What do you mean ''or my friends''?"she demanded shrewdly, blue eyes narrowing, "What aren't you telling me?"

_Oh there's a lot I'm telling you, love_. Hook thought vindictively, but out loud, he said, "Your parents weren't the only ones he took from the Enchanted Forest. Everyone who got sent there by his curse became his captive the second they returned,"

The Saviour's eyes went wide as the full meaning of that statement hit her. "So he has everyone?Ruby, the Dwarves, Belle, Regina, even Neal?"she surmised with mixed shock and horror, praying to God that that wasn't true and that she'd misinterpreted.

Unfortunately, she was all too correct. "Exactly,"Hook confirmed, mouth set in a grim line, "And as long as all of them are in his clutches, he holds all of the cards,"

A frown creased Emma's pale, faintly lined forehead. "But Regina has her magic, doesn't she?Shouldn't she be able to get away?I'm sure Pan doesn't have the time to personally guard her 24/7,"she interjected hopefully, grasping at straws now.

"Even if he doesn't guard her personally, Pan's made all of his Lost Ones impervious to any magic but his own, and that includes our hardheaded Queen's. I gathered that fact from how easy it was for them to take her,"the pirate debunked her assumption, shaking his head disparagingly. That was the truth, too;or, at least, Pan had told him how all of Regina's spells had bounced off of his Boys when they'd captured her. The Evil Queen had been just as helpless as the rest of them.

Emma let out a resigned sigh, pursing her thin lips. "So what about Henry, then?"she switched topics, attempting to approach the problem from a different angle. "If Pan took him, he's likely back in Neverland, right?Couldn't we sail your ship there and get him?"

Hook scratched his stubbled chin thoughtfully. "We could,"he agreed with careful reluctance, "But I rather doubt it would be that simple. Pan's not likely to let the boy escape him a second time without a real fight,"

Emma threw her hands up in defeat. "So what do you suggest we do, then?Nothing?"she retorted a little waspishly, exasperated and annoyed at Hook shooting down all of her ideas.

The one-handed man edged his way around her and lifted Pan's map off of the metal table. He scrutinized it in depth for several moments before giving her an answer.

"There is no real secret to this map, you know. It's pretty straightforward if you think about it,"he informed his companion thoughtfully, turning the parchment around and tapping it with the tip of his metal hook. "The marking are just coded to correspond with different members of your family, extended and immediate,"

Emma snatched the map back from him, re-examining the markings to try and deduce which symbol corresponded to who, but Hook beat her to it again. "I figured out which one he used for your mother,"he indicated a small white tiara symbol inscribed on the parchment.

The blonde lifted the map higher in front of her face, staring at the symbol closely to find out the location. Her eyes bugged out when she realized where that was.

"But that's..."she trailed off in shock, at a loss for words. Her mother was close;in fact, she was even in the same state.

Emma heaved another deep breath before declaring in a slightly hoarse voice, "I guess I'm going to Manhattan,"

* * *

**Storybrooke, Maine**

Neal opened his hazel eyes to a startlingly familiar sight. He was in a cell in the Sheriff's station. In Storybrooke.

He blinked furiously, wondering if this was a hallucination induced by whatever he had been knocked out with. Everything was exactly the same as he remembered it, though;if it was a hallucination, it was one hell of a realistic one. He'd seen this town get wiped completely out of existence by Pan's curse. So how was he in it?

He didn't even remember how he had gotten here. All he knew was that he had been knocked out with some sort of magic back in the Enchanted Forest and then, he'd regained consciousness inside this cell alone, in a town that wasn't even supposed to exist anymore.

He scanned the meter-wide space, hoping to spot a nail or something he could use to pick the lock. Emma would have kept a hairpin on hand, he observed ruefully as his search came to no avail. There was nothing in the cell;he was stuck here, just like he'd been in the Charmings' dungeon.

His morose thoughts were interrupted when he heard the sound of the lights being switched on and someone entering the office. A very tall, very familiar, black-cloaked someone.

"Felix,"Neal declared blankly, unsure of what else to say;but honestly, he shouldn't have been surprised. If Pan was alive, it stood to reason that he'd bring back his right-hand man. It looked as though the magic laws around resurrecting the dead no longer mattered.

The most loyal Lost Boy strode further into the room with his typical fluid grace, hood half-covering his thin face and trademark club clutched threateningly in his left hand. He halted in his tracks when he was in front of the chaise lounge by the steel bars separating him from the Dark One's son. He leaned against the armrest before responding to the other man's less-than-pleased greeting.

"Welcome back to Storybrooke, Baelfire,"Felix said with mock politeness, drawing out the man's real name into two elongated, disdainful syllables as he lifted his chin so his gray eyes were visible beneath the black hood. A fake smile twisted his bloodless lips at the obvious contempt on the shorter's face as he continued to speak. "You don't seem happy to be back."

"Cut the crap, Felix. What am I doing here?Why did Pan bring me here?"Neal demanded seethingly, cutting short the spiel Felix was giving him;the same one he'd given him the last time on Neverland.

Felix's lips twitched. "You know Peter Pan isn't to be trifled with. You were a Lost Boy,"he stated cockily, pausing briefly before adding in a more sinister tone, "Now your boy is well on his way to becoming one, too,"

He didn't flinch when Baelfire lunged at him from behind the bars, gripping them with shaking, whitening knuckles as if he were trying to restrain himself. "What the hell are you talking about?"he hissed furiously, disbelief etched into every inch of his rugged features.

Felix straightened up and moved closer so that Baelfire could see the cold, hard truth in his eyes as he replied. "He's following in your footsteps, Baelfire,"he told him coolly, voice soft like a snake's, "Only he isn't going to make your mistakes. He's going to be better than you;he's going to become a true Lost One,"

With every word, Neal's heart constricted as their full impact hit him like a speeding bus. Henry was trapped in Neverland, under Pan's influence again and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. Just like he hadn't been able to do a thing to stop his father from killing Belle. Just like he hadn't been able to do anything the last time Henry had gotten kidnapped, he was trapped while his family suffered.

* * *

**The _Jolly Roger_**

Waking up to Pan in his bed probably shouldn't have been something Hook was happy about-but he was. And he was even happier when Peter laced their fingers together in the space between them, and for once, he wasn't the one to start their conversation.

"How's Henry?"the pirate was the one to speak first, a cheeky grin curving his lips as he looked at their joined hands. Peter chuckled softly, finger moving down to trace the vein running through Hook's wrist.

"He's shaping up to be a fine Lost Boy,"he replied with satisfaction, absently stroking Hook's wrist with his index finger as he spoke. "Takes after his father that way;he was a good follower, too-before he decided to disobey. Henry, fortunately, won't be making that mistake," "You'll make sure of that,"Hook put in confidently, unable to suppress his admiration. He knew he should have been feeling guilty for lying to Emma or sending her after her mother when he knew full well where her son was, but he couldn't find it in himself to do so. All he felt was an immense desire to please Pan-and a strange sense of elation when he managed to do so.

Peter inched closer, propping himself up on an elbow as his green eyes gleamed with amusement. "You've done well on your part, Captain,"he complimented lowly, half-leaning over the pirate so he was obscuring his vision, "I'm sure the Saviour believes you're still a lovesick fool and her only ally against the _evil_ Peter Pan,"

Hook laughed at the obvious mockery in Peter's tone as he pulled the boy further down until their noses were almost touching. "And she'll continue to think that because it's what you want,"he declared firmly, hook pressing against Peter's side, "Isn't it?"

By way of a response, Peter closed the remaining distance between them and lowered his smirking lips to the pirate's. Hook reciprocated almost immediately, opening his mouth to allow Pan to lick his way inside, shifting his hook lower so it was digging into the boy's slender hip.

A moan bubbled out of the back of his throat when Peter pressed in between his thighs, wrestling both of his arms up so he could pin them on either side of his head and cause Hook to come completely undone. Each consuming, bruising kiss stole more of his breath until he was nearly gasping to get it back.

It was only at that point that Peter pulled back and replied with actual words. "For now, that's exactly what I want,"he confirmed in what was practically a purr, lips continuing to brush against the captain's as he spoke and settled himself more firmly on top of Hook. Hook couldn't suppress heat from pooling in his stomach with Pan so close and in such an intimate position.

He obligingly turned his head to the side when Peter began mouthing over the side of his face, stopping at the junction where Hook's ear met his neck. "But, at this precise moment, what I want is to have you under me, moaning my name,"

Hook's breath hitched when Peter's teeth snapped down on his ear lobe as he rolled his hips forward, arching his hips instinctively. "As you wish,"he barely had time to acquiesce before the demon was at him again, pulling at his bottom lip and pulling him out of his mind.

He lost himself completely as Peter ground against him and devoured his mouth with mind-numbing intensity. This was becoming a dangerous addiction, almost bordering on obsession; Pan was inside him, in his head, in his body, in his veins-even in his heart. He was so deep under Killian's skin and the pirate didn't even want to get him out.

Caving to Pan's demands because of a threat or a desire to be the villain was one thing, but maybe it wasn't such a concession after all. Maybe this was really who he was-and maybe it was wrong to actually genuinely want to make Peter Pan happy, but Hook didn't care.

Somewhere along the line, this had become about more than just missing the old days of doing Pan's ''dirty work''or being in Pan's bed. Somewhere alone the line, it had become about doing what Pan wanted because he wanted to. And also, possibly because he had feelings for the immortal that went beyond physical attraction and mutual depreciation.

* * *

**Manhattan, New York**

She'd followed the map to a familiar apartment building in Manhattan. It was the same apartment she'd found Neal in when she'd gone searching for him last year with Henry and Rumplestiltskin.

Her brows furrowed. The map had said that that this was where Pan was keeping her mother;if that were true, then something was very, very wrong here.

Taking a deep breath in order to gather her nerve, she walked inside the building-and found the gate that separated the lobby from the apartments wide open. The lock on the iron gate had been broken and obviously, no one had gotten around to fixing it yet.

An immense sense of trepidation began to enter her mind as Emma got into the elevator and hit the button for Neal's floor. Her heat was racing and she could feel the familiar prickle at the back of her neck telling her that this was most likely a trap of some sort. That didn't matter, though;she had to see this through. If her mother was here, she had to know.

When the elevator came to a halt, she walked out carefully, withdrawing her gun from her belt but keeping it hidden inside the pocket of her red leather jacket. She followed the hall to Neal's apartment. Her frown deepened when she found that door ajar as well-and her heart nearly stopped when she saw the deep scratch in the middle of the painted wood.

Well and truly on edge now, Emma pulled her gun out of her pocket and held it aloft as she slowly pushed the door open, keeping her eyes peeled for any sign of danger. "Mary Margaret?"she called out warily, waving the gun around, just in case she alerted anyone unfriendly with her voice.

There was no answer, though and when she opened the door the rest of the way, she saw dark red pools covering the floor at her feet. Her eyes widened and she scanned the room frantically, noting the sparse furnishings and the dreamcatcher by the window were still in place, if a bit dusty.

Her heart leaped into her throat;this was looking almost horrifyingly similar to the scene she'd discovered at her friend's house.

"Mom?"she tried again, this time unable to keep the fearful tremble out of her voice as she ventured further into the apartment, praying that she wasn't about to find the same thing she had in New Jersey. There was more blood, though, and when she walked into the bedroom, she saw exactly what she didn't want to see.

"No,"she breathed in horror, jamming the gun back into her pocket and rushing to where her mother's body lay, spread-eagled and lifeless on the floor next to the bed. She was as white as a sheet and dark brown stains saturated the front of her white tunic-and, just like with Henry's babysitters, there was a hollow, gaping hole where her heart had been.

Emma dropped to her knees next to Snow's corpse and grabbed her hand as tears began to stream from her crystal blue eyes. "No, Mom, please,"she sobbed desperately, staring in revulsion at the bloody aperture in her mother's chest. Someone had torn her heart out.

And Emma had a pretty good idea who.


	15. Chapter 15

**Manhattan, New York**

Allowing herself only a few more minutes of grief, Emma forced herself to get back to her feet and report the murder just like she had done with her friends. She didn't really want to involve the cops, but if they came here on their own, they'd find her fingerprints and she wanted to be suspected even less.

After making the nine-one-one call and hanging up the phone, she started to search the apartment for a clue as to who had murdered her mother. She doubted that Pan had done it himself, so it was up to her to figure out who he had gotten to do his dirty work this time.

Besides the bloodstains and the gaping hole in Mary Margaret's chest, though, there was no other evidence that a murder had even occurred. Sure, there was the broken lock on the gate in the lobby, but for all she knew, that could have happened months ago. Same with the one on Neal's front door;it wasn't like anyone had been living here since Neal had left almost two years ago.

Then, suddenly,Emma remembered something. She exited the room and went back into the hallway, half-closing the chipped door behind her. There was a deep, jagged scratch in the space just above the doorknob;she'd remembered seeing it when she came in.

Strangely transfixed, she ran her fingers over the scratch thoughtfully. She was no expert on things like this, but the shape looked incredibly familiar.

Frowning, she re-entered the suite to see if there was anything in the sitting room that she had missed the first time. Looking at the scene with fresh eyes, she did find something that she hadn't noticed before.

Draped haphazardly over the back of the drab couch was a black silk scarf. She picked it up to get a closer look;she could have sworn that she had seen it somewhere before.

And then, it hit her:it looked exactly like the scarf Hook had been wearing around his neck when he had shown up at her door a week and a half ago.

Emma dropped the length of material, suddenly repulsed by it. Hook couldn't have been the one to commit this horrible crime;she refused to believe that. He had changed for her;he was her only ally, her only friend in this twisted little game of Pan's. He would never kill her mother. He wouldn't do that to her.

Would he?

Worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, Emma lifted the scarf off of the couch again, handling it extremely gingerly as if it were a live bomb or something. She didn't want to believe that Hook would do something this awful to _her_ , the woman he had actually confessed to loving during their stint in Neverland;she wanted to believe that he really was a good man now. She didn't want to regret trusting him, even caring for him again.

But she had to know for sure.

She stuffed the black silk accessory into the pocket of her coat, retrieving her gun from the bedroom before exiting the apartment again. She needed some answers from the pirate claiming to be her friend, and she was going to get them-one way or another.

* * *

**Neverland**

Henry held the longbow aloft in his gloved hands, directing its point at the target painted onto the large oak tree in the corner of the campsite. The weight was familiar and comfortable now, but he was still getting the feel of using it again;though he had his memories back, they still felt like they belonged to someone else.

Peter had suggested throwing himself back into typical Lost Boy activities in order to feel more at home, so that was exactly what he was doing. Since he had gotten here, he had been practicing with different weapons and now he had gotten around to the arrows.

He had a faint reminiscence of doing this in another time, aiming the bow at Felix and then releasing the arrow in Peter's direction at the last second. His forehead wrinkled at that memory;why would he shoot Pan?Pan was his family.He wouldn't dare to try to kill him, unless it had all been part of some game they had been playing.

"Come on, Henry,"his leader's husky British accent broke into his reverie, speaking from behind him as his hand dropped onto Henry's shoulders, "You can do this. Just believe you can,"

The brunette cast a cursory glance back at Peter before turning his focus back onto the target. Inhaling deeply, he envisioned hitting it before pulling the string back and releasing it.

The arrow was about to fly way off course, but at the last second, Henry closed his eyes and imagined it hitting the target dead-on. When he opened his eyes again, that was exactly what it had done.

He blinked in bemusement, swiveling his head around to look at Pan, wondering if he had had anything to do with it, but the leader of the Lost Boys looked just as surprised as he was. "Well, that was unexpected,"Peter commented archly, brows quirking slightly as he moved to examine the arrow embedded in the tree trunk. "It looks as though you're even more powerful than even I first thought, Henry."

The younger Lost Boy was about to ask him what he meant by that, but then another phantom image from the past momentarily filled his mind. He'd believed a crudely shaped stick into a real steel sword and everyone had been stunned. And Pan had been the one to explain how he had been able to achieve such a thing.

_This is Neverland and you have the Heart of the Truest Believer_

"You mean, because I'm the Truest Believer,"he guessed shrewdly, still not really sure what exactly that meant.

Peter inclined his head in an affirmative. "That's it. In Neverland, though, everyone is able to believe things into existence-but you, Henry, you appear to be the only one who can change things that are already in existence. For example,"he jerked his chin in the direction of the arrow Henry had just shot, "You believed that arrow would hit its mark, didn't you?You saw it was going off course and you didn't want that to happen?"

A little mystified as to where he was going with this, Henry nodded mutely, curious as to what Pan was going to say next.

At his confirmation, Peter's smooth lips curled into a satisfied smile. "It seems as though I was right in taking you away from the real world, Henry. You were able to alter the course of that arrow through sheer force of will,"Peter told him with what actually sounded like admiration. His green eyes gleamed in the moonlight as he finished his thought, "With these powers, you never would have belonged in the real world, not the same way you do here,"

Henry stared at him, unblinking, as he considered those words and a faint crease appeared between his brows. It was true;he had never really fit in with the children in the real world and he knew why. He'd been living a lie for the last year and all of his memories before then were an illusion, He was no ordinary boy;he had the Heart of the Truest Believer. He could do things no ordinary boy could so.

He was a Lost Boy through and through. He had no need parents;Pan was the only family he needed.

* * *

**Storybrooke, Maine**

"Rise and shine, your not-so-Highness."

The former mayor of Storybrooke was jolted out of unconsciousness by that sneering, accented voice and her eyes opened to find that she was in the last place she had ever expected to be again.

She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands, hoping to God that this was a nightmare or something, but the familiar sight refused to vanish. This was real;she was in her vault, in Storybrooke.

And she wasn't alone, either.

"I bet you thought we were done with you, didn't you, Regina?"the Black Fairy mocked as she sauntered into view, her black-tinged lips curling in an almost predatory smirk. She reclined back against the center of the door frame, crossing her arms over her chest as Regina scrambled to her feet.

"How am I back here?"the Evil Queen asked, utterly nonplussed as she brushed off the front of her dress. After taking a minute to regain her bearings, she rounded on her companion and demanded, "What did you do?"

Tamesis's grin simply widened at the shorter woman's accusing tone and she raised her brown eyebrows. "Oh, I didn't do a thing,"the blacknette replied innocently, tilting her head to the side like she had no idea what Regina was talking about.

Then she belied it by flashing her teeth in an expression of pure malice. "You started this when you decided to challenge Pan. You didn't really think he was just going to let you get away with it, did you?"she finished tauntingly, lifting her chin in a gesture of superiority.

Regina stared back at her, torn between incredulity and fury. "He was trying to take my son's heart and kill him,"she stated through clenched teeth, as if the other woman didn't know, "Pan should have thought about that if he didn't want me to challenge him,"

The Black Fairy just continued to smile, shaking her head like she was a teacher dealing with a very slow child. "He wanted a challenge, but you broke the rules,"she retorted in a chiding tone, dark eyes simmering beneath her thick coal-black lashes. "And now you, your companions and your family are going to pay the consequences."

"You know, if you wanted to threaten me, you should have picked somewhere else to do it,"the Evil Queen said with vindication, upper lip curling as she reached behind her onto one of the shelves against the wall, "This is my vault, and all of my magic is here,"

She was about to pull her hand forward and shoot a spell at her companion, but the Black Fairy's hand closed around her throat, nails digging into her skin and, all of a sudden, they were nose-to-nose. "You have no idea what you're dealing with here, do you?"she hissed venomously, scratching down the length of Regina's neck and making her cry out in pain;there was more danger in the silkiness of her tone than in the most potent of all curses.

A malevolent chuckle fell from her glossy lips as Regina struggled to break free of her vice-like grip. "Just because you were the most powerful practitioner of magic here doesn't mean that you're going to remain so. Pan's new Dark Curse is going to make yours look like child's play-and your _precious_ Henry is going to be the one to enact it,"

The former mayor gasped desperately when the pressure on her windpipe finally vanished and the black-haired woman stepped away. "What are you going to do to him?What are you making him do?"Regina rasped angrily, attempting to conceal her weakness while she tried to get air back into her lungs. "I'm warning you-"

"Oh, you're _warning_ me?"Tamesis interrupted caustically, rolling her eyes and appearing supremely unimpressed. "I'm afraid you're in no position to be warning anyone. Your darling Henry is going to be the one to seal all of your fates-and you won't do a thing to stop it."

Regina made to launch herself at the provocation but a wall of blackness knocked her back down and sent her sprawling to the floor. She struggled to work herself into a more dignified position as the other sorceress advanced again, but some invisible force held her immobile.

She had to force herself not to recoil when the Black Fairy knelt next to her, brushing strands of hair from her forehead in an almost motherly manner. "I'm sure you thought you were saving your son by taking away all of his memories of you, but really, all you did was make it easier for us to turn him against you."

Frigid breath rushed past Regina's ear as Tamesis leaned in close to whisper, "Henry is a Lost Boy now-and there is nothing you can do about it,"

Getting back to her feet, she brushed some imaginary dirt off of her pants before turning on her heel to leave. "Welcome back to Storybrooke, Mayor Mills,"she declared in a mockingly courteous tone, "Enjoy your stay-while you still remember who you are,"

With that elegant statement, the Black Fairy departed, taking the magic restraining Regina with her and leaving the threat hanging in the air.

After she was gone, Regina rose unsteadily, the threat ringing sinisterly in her ears. With immense trepidation, she exited her vault, looking around to see that she was indeed back in Storybrooke.

But it was a deserted Storybrooke, and, alone in the street, the Mayor couldn't help but wonder if everything the Black Fairy had said was true.

Had she really only made Henry more susceptible to Pan's influence by trying to give him a modicum of peace?Had he really become a Lost Boy?

She heaved a helpless sigh-and helplessness was something she definitely wasn't familiar with. If Henry was in trouble, she couldn't help and that was the worst thing.

And it wasn't until after she sat down on the steps of her office that she noticed the line of blood trickling down the side of her neck.

* * *

**Neverland**

_Hook knew he shouldn't be enjoying this so much._

_The bargain he''d made with Pan to get his revenge on the Dark One, he'd never thought it would turn out like this. He had never thought he'd be doing anything like this in his life._

_After leaving Neverland the first time, he had gone from being a navy man to a pirate. He'd done some pretty questionable things while trying to overthrow their king for lying to him and indirectly causing his brother's death-but that was almost nothing compared to the things he was doing now._

_He'd cheated._

_He'd stolen._

_And he had killed more people than he could count._

_That wasn't even the most horrible thing he'd done, either;no, that applied to what he was doing now while under the demon of Neverland's influence._

_He was sprawled bare and panting on the ground, not even in his ship, lips swollen and bruised, eyes hazy and skin drawn. Reddish marks dotted the line of his neck and cuts stood out stark against the tawny flesh of his hips. He had ll the signs of an addict;only his drug was a person._

_Pan was inside him, holding him down while he invaded every part of his body and soul. He was drowning in the agony and lust and he could barely move by the time Pan was finished. But he couldn't deny the sick, depraved part of him that was actually enjoying this._

_Pan was his drug-and he didn't think he would ever get enough._

**(Present Day)**

Neverland was even more daunting and dilapidated than ever;Hook hadn't thought he would ever see the day when coming here didn't fill him with dread or trepidation. But it seemed like there was a first time for everything.

In the past, he had only come here because he'd had to. He hated this island;he'd never wanted to return here unless it was absolutely necessary or unavoidable. This time, however, was different.

He'd come here completely voluntarily;Peter hadn't called him. There was no reason for him to be here-except for one.

He trekked through the jungle, a little miffed that he couldn't have just used his newfound powers to just teleport to Pan. Unfortunately, they didn't work like that;they could only take him to a specific place-and since he didn't know precisely where in Neverland Peter was, he was resigned to traipsing around to try and find him.

That is, until Peter found him first.

"I didn't think you would ever come here without being called, Captain,"that velvet-like British accent spoke from behind him, sounding faintly amused. Hook turned to find the eternal boy perched in one of the gnarled trees with his back against the trunk and arms crossed over his chest.

Hook met his bright green eyes without flinching, lifting his chin so he could see him better. "Things have changed,"he stated flatly, wetting his lips.

Peter's own lips twitched slightly as one of his brows lifted. "Indeed, they have,"he agreed, showing the barest hint of teeth. He leaned his head back languidly, switching topics, "So tell me, how is the Saviour dealing with her mother's death?"

Hook knew the immortal was looking for some snarky comment as an update on their plan, but he didn't have one. He hadn't even spoken to Emma yet after sending her to Manhattan to find her mother's body-and, anyway, that wasn't the reason he was here.

"I didn't come here of my own free will for that, Pan,"he responded firmly, taking a deep breath and steeling himself for not giving Pan what he wanted. He raised his sapphire eyes and did his best to hold that burning emerald gaze without blinking.

The immortal reappeared in front of him, brows arching up high with almost childish curiosity. "No?"he quipped in a soft challenge, a gleam in his unearthly eyes that made Hook think he knew exactly what he'd come to Neverland for, "Then why did you?"

He swallowed hard before taking a daring step closer to Pan and, abandoning all form of pretense, voiced what was on his mind. "I don't want to pretend to be Emma's friend any longer,"he declared bluntly, just laying it all out in the open.

Something dark flashed beneath the eternal boy's thick lashes, but when he spoke, his tone was deceptively innocent-and not at all angry, as Hook had expected it to be. "And why is that?"he queried in barely above a whisper, brows knitting as he tilted his head to the side like the child that he definitely wasn't.

Hook really hoped that he wasn't inviting the demon's wrath by trying to deviate from his master plan-but he had to say this now, before he lost his nerve. "Because I want it to be clear whose side I'm really on,"he answered honestly, "I want the Saviour and what's left of her family to know that she doesn't have me wrapped around her finger anymore, and,"

He paused, watching Peter's expression grow more and more insipid with each word he spoke. _Bloody Hell, why is this so hard?_ He mentally cursed, wishing he could tell what the blonde was thinking.

Sighing, he closed his eyes briefly before finishing his sentence in as composed a tone as he could muster, "I want Emma to know that I'm not with you because you manipulated or coerced me into it, but because I want to be,"

His breath hitched slightly when Peter invaded his personal space, leaning in until he could practically count every one of the boy's ridiculously long eyelashes. "You sound surprised,"he observed mildly, lips brushing lightly against the pirate's.

Hook tentatively lifted his one good hand and placed it at the back of Pan's neck, forcing himself to continue. "I was. I never thought I'd be capable of my first love, to believe that I could find someone else. I thought Emma changed that, but she isn't the one I'd do anything for anymore. You are,"He slid his hand forward to cup Peter's cheek before confessing the thing he'd been trying so hard to deny, "I love you," He waited a beat before taking a chance and adding, "And I think you love me, too,"

He was expecting any number of snide retorts or for Peter to just vanish and leave him hanging. What he didn't expect was for Peter to grab the lapels of his coat and slot their mouths together in an uncharacteristically gentle kiss-or for him to respond in kind once the kiss was over.

"I do,"he admitted, speaking into the corner of Killian's mouth in a hushed tone. Something uncannily akin to an honest smile flickered briefly over the demon boy's shining, pink lips as he pulled back enough to look his companion in the eyes, "I love you, too, Killian-which is why I'm going to grant your request."

Peter pressed close to him, slipping his hands behind the pirate's neck and resting his weight on the man's chest. "Lead the Saviour back to Storybrooke to find the rest of her family, and then, we'll show her who you really belong to,"he commanded lowly, grinning as Hook's arms coiled around his waist.

The pirate returned his smile and sealed their lips together once more. Peter took control again, but he didn't care. Now that he knew that the immortal loved him as well, he was more than happy to submit.


	16. Chapter 16

**The _Jolly Roger_**

Hook returned to his ship to find Emma waiting for him, jaw clenched as she paced back and forth across the deck. She halted abruptly when she caught sight of him climbing up the ramp beside the _Jolly Roger_.

"Where have you been?"the Saviour demanded in a shaky voice, jamming her hands in the pockets of her coat so the pirate wouldn't see them trembling. Her light blue eyes flashed as they fell on the gleaming, curved metal that took the place of Hook's left hand;could that have been the weapon that killed her mother?

Hook cleared his throat, drawing her attention back to his face. "I was running an errand,"he answered evasively, arching an eyebrow. He stepped forward at the obvious restrained emotion in her expression, "Is something wrong, love?"

Emma took a deep breath, gnawing on her lower lip as she debated whether or not to tell him what was wrong. If he was the one who had murdered Mary Margaret, did she really want to know? Did she really want to test the trust she'd developed in this man?

After a few moments of serious consideration, she replied in as even a tone as she could manage. "I found my mom,"she stated flatly, trying not to let her grief show.

Hook's other eyebrow rose to join the first, more than a little confused. "Was that not what you wanted?To find your parents?"he quipped curiously, feigning befuddlement perfectly.

"I found her _murdered_ ,"Emma amended forcefully, voice breaking slightly with badly suppressed emotion. She watched Hook carefully for his reaction while simultaneously fighting back tears and the urge to just outright ask Killian if he had killed her mother.

Something flickered briefly in Hook's steel-blue orbs, but it was gone before Emma could identify it. "I'm sorry, Swan,"he said in a suitably solemn tone, reaching out in an attempt to console her.

She shook him off indignantly. "Are you?"she retorted accusingly, pulling one of her hands out of her pocket with a length of black material that she shoved into Hook's arms, "Because I found this in the apartment she was in-and I'm pretty certain it's yours,"

Hook took the silk scarf from her, examining it as it dangled off of the end of his hook. He shook his head ruefully."This isn't mine,"he denied her claim, reaching into his own pocket to pull out another, shorter scarf that did look eerily similar to the one Emma had found, "This one is-and I don't have more than one. I can see how you would confuse the two, though," He held out the other scarf for Emma to take it back.

She did so sheepishly, feeling her face grow warm with embarrassment. She had been wrong;she'd basically just accused her only ally of murder and she'd been wrong.

There was still a voice at the back of her mind telling her that something didn't add up, but she ignored it. "I'm sorry,"Emma apologized guiltily, looking at her feet, "I didn't mean to imply that you were my mother's killer, but-"

Hook cut her off, waving away her apology. "No offense taken, love. So what about your father, then? Wasn't he with her?"he questioned, switching topics quickly.

It was Emma's turn to shake her head. "No, he wasn't. Pan must have separated them for some reason,"she responded grimly, shoving the silk scarf back into her pocket, "And I have no idea where he would be,"

Hook seemed to think about that for a second before dropping his scarf and holding out his good hand. "Let me see that map he gave you again,"he requested calmly.

Emma withdrew the piece of parchment from her other pocket and gave it to him, feeling a peculiar sense of foreboding as she did so. Hook scanned the map, stroking his stubbled chin thoughtfully as he connected the symbols on it with the people they represented.

Exhaling, he turned the map around and tapped it with his hook, indicating the Maine area, where the majority of the symbols seemed to be.

"Your father's there,"he told her, referring to a white horse on the parchment that was next to a bunch of other markings, "He and the rest of your family are all back where Storybrooke used to be,"

The Saviour blinked, unable to believe what she was seeing. "But that's impossible. Pan's curse destroyed Storybrooke,"she declared with disbelief, staring hard at the parchment as if it weren't real.

The pirate shrugged his shoulders. "Apparently, something else must have brought it back,"he commented offhandedly as it were no big deal. He waited a moment while Emma processed that before adding, "So I guess we know where we're going next,"

Emma nodded in agreement, "Back to Storybrooke,"

* * *

**Neverland**

Time passed rather quickly on Neverland, although, since the sky remained in a permanent twilight state, it didn't appear to be passing at all. By Henry's estimation, he had been here for about a week-and already it felt more like home than anywhere in the real world ever had.

His memories were finally starting to feel like his again;the more things he did with the Lost Boys,the more he believed that he was and always had been one of them. His time in the real world, as an ordinary boy, no longer even seemed real;this, this was what was real. This was his true life.

He wasn't a loner or an outsider anymore, either;the other Lost Boys had become his family. One of the older ones, Devin, had become especially close to him. They sparred together often and had their bedrolls next to one another so they could talk in between games and when they had a free moment. He couldn't remember ever being this happy anywhere but here.

Pan wasn't around him very much anymore;he'd show up for the occasional game or to check on them all or to announce some new development on the island, but otherwise, he was nowhere to be found. But it wasn't that much of a surprise when he interrupted one of their regular training sessions to tell them that they would be leaving Neverland for an indeterminate period of time.

He had stationed himself on top of a rock in the center of their campsite with an inscrutable expression lighting his smooth, tawny features. "Neverland is our home, but I think there are others who would benefit from our lifestyle,"his pink lips curled into a bright, slightly manic grin, "We can save more boys by bringing Neverland to them-so we will be returning to the real world,'

He didn't seem at all affected by the thick silence that followed his pronouncement;he shared a brief, cryptic glance with Felix, who was flanking him on the ground as per usual, before stepping down off of the rock and making a beeline straight for Henry. Once he reached the brunette, he beckoned for Henry to follow him into an empty corner of the camp.

"I thought you might like to know that there is another reason why I'm taking us back to the real world, Henry, and it's because of you,"Peter informed the younger boy once they were out of the other boys's earshot.

Henry raised his thin eyebrows at the unexpected admission. "Because of me?Why?"he asked with a shake of his head, completely nonplussed by his leader's words.

"Pan wanted to give you the opportunity for a little payback,"Felix began to explain slowly, mischievous smirk creeping over his thin, pale lips.

Peter inclined his head in confirmation. "That I did, Henry,"he picked up on Felix's sentence, stepping forward and placing a hand on the brown-haired boy's shoulder. He squatted down so the two of them were eye-to-eye before finishing, "How would you like to get revenge on the woman who took away your memories?"

The brunette's brows arched up higher in surprise. "You know where she is?"he quipped in a bemused tone, hazel eyes narrowing slightly, "Where?"

Peter's own forest green orbs flashed as he answered with a single word; "Storybrooke,"

* * *

**Storybrooke, Maine**

When David opened his eyes after the drug Graham had injected him with had worn off and took in his surroundings, he thought he was dreaming. He recognized the humbly furnished foyer all too well-but he couldn't believe he was really seeing it. Because it was part of the entryway in his and Mary Margaret's loft. In Storybrooke.

He squeezed his crystal blue orbs shut tightly, commanding himself to wake up anywhere but there, but when he opened them again, he was still looking at the same things. A heavy, resigned sigh left his lips;he wasn't dreaming. This was real;he really was back in Storybrooke.

Inhaling deeply, the prince sat up, shaking his head to dislodge the remaining wooziness so he could properly assess the situation. Obviously, somehow Storybrooke had been re-created and, for some reason, Pan had had him brought there. The question was, though, was he the only one?

David hauled himself to his feet, brushing off the front of his black trousers. He was still in his Enchanted Forest garb, which meant that it hadn't been another curse that had gotten him here;he'd been transported through a portal or something-and he needed to know if he was alone.

He opened the front door and exited the loft in as silent a manner as he could manage. He didn't know if there was anyone else around and, if there was, he didn't know if they were friend or foe so he kept his guard up and tried not to make a sound.

The building hall was completely empty, as were the staircases. It wasn't until the prince had left the building that he actually caught sight of another living person. And it was a person that he, fortunately, knew.

"Regina,"he called out to the familiar dark-haired woman, feeling a surprising amount of relief at seeing his former nemesis. Finding her was better than finding no one, and a lot better than finding one of Pan's flunkies.

The Evil Queen looked up from the bench she was sitting on and her eyes widened fractionally when she saw David running toward her with relief clear upon his tawny features. "David,"she greeted him in shock, rising as he reached her, "Pan brought you here as well?"

David shrugged his broad shoulders offhandedly. "It would appear so,"he said flatly, "Do you know if any of the others are here? Neal, the dwarves, Snow?"

Regina shook her head in a negative. "I haven't seen any of them,"she told him truthfully, "I woke up in my vault after the Black Fairy and Graham knocked us out and then I came straight out here. I didn't see anyone on my way," She conveniently neglected to mention that the Black Fairy had paid her a visit before she'd left her vault.

David let out a frustrated breath through gritted teeth. "Okay,"he took a deep breath to try and compose himself, considering what the best course of action was, "Is there any way you can find out if there's anyone else in this town?You do still have your magic, right?"

The dark-haired woman opened her palm and summoned a fireball just to make sure that she still could. "I do,"she confirmed the prince's hope confidently, extinguishing the fireball and doing a quick spell to change her clothes. She exhaled slowly, "Let's see if we have any company,"

She waved her right hand and a thin tendril of black smoke snaked out of the end of her index finger, shooting through the air as it sought out any other sentient life forms. It circled the town square a few times before suddenly splitting off in several different directions, one of them being the direction of the Sheriff's station.

"Looks like someone's already done something Pan didn't like and landed themselves in jail,"the mayor commented archly, raising her raven-black eyebrows. She shared a cursory glance with her male companion before the two of them took off toward the station, curious to see who was there.

They halted in the doorway, slowing their pace just in case they were wrong and whoever was in the station was not someone friendly. Regina started to conjure another fireball, but stopped when she saw who was locked in the cell.

"Neal?"David gasped in shock, rushing to the cell bars to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

The prisoner leapt to his feet, wrapping his hands around the iron poles at the sound of that familiar voice. "David!"he exclaimed frantically, "Can you find the keys to this cell? I've tried everything to pick the lock, but my options have been pretty limited,"

David hastily turned around and opened of the drawers of the desk at the other end of the room. He rummaged through all of them before finally withdrawing the keys and rushing to unlock the cell.

Once he was out, Neal gave him a clap on the shoulder. "Thanks, man,"he thanked the prince gratefully, resting his hands on the chaise lounge against the wall. Taking a moment to appreciate finally having his freedom again, he huffed out a rueful breath before speaking again. "What are you two doing here?"

"Funny. We were just going to ask you the same thing,"Regina retorted shrewdly, tucking her hands into the front pockets of her navy blue trenchcoat, "But I'm pretty sure I already know the answer to that question," She turned her gaze back to David, who folded his arms across his chest, waiting. "Evidently, Pan must want us all back together for his new curse-and he brought back this town so he could trap us all here once again,"she summarized concisely.

Frowns creased the two males's foreheads as the likelihood of that being the truth hit them. They could really lose all of their memories again and be imprisoned here forever-and this time, without the whole ''true love'' thing woven in and with Emma already not remembering them, there would be no way of reversing Pan's curse once it was cast.

"We can't let that happen,"Charming declared firmly, a hint of steel creeping into his voice. He set his jaw and addressed both of his companions, taking charge of the situation, "We need to find the others and then, we need to figure out how to stop this curse before it happens. We defeated Pan once before-we can do it again,"

"True, we did defeat him, but that was only because of my father,"Neal cut in dismally, putting a damper on David's pep talk. His hands clenched his fists as he continued, "And while he may no longer be dead, he is also no longer on our side,"

All eyes in the room turned on him, wide with mixed shock and disbelief. "Your father's alive?How do you know that?"Regina questioned him suspiciously, unwilling to take Baelfire's news at face value.

"Because I saw him,"the Dark One's son confessed grimly, biting his bottom lip as flashes of what had happened when he'd discovered his father's resurrection filled his head. David's frown deepened. "What makes you think that he's no longer on our side?"he asked warily, coming to stand next to Neal and laying a hand on his forearm.

Neal inhaled sharply, trying to shake off the gruesome images that were currently plaguing his mind. "Because he killed Belle,"he stated forcefully, still unable to believe that these words were true. He blew out a lot of air before raising his chin and meeting David's concerned stare evenly. "The only person he cared about just as much as he did me, and I watched him strangle her to death with his bare hands. That's what makes me think he's no longer on our side;if he was, there was no way he would have ever laid a hand on the woman he loved,"

The prince looked over at Regina for help, but she looked just as clueless and, surprisingly, just as horrified as he was. He sighed. "Well, okay, so we can't count on Gold for any assistance this time around, but we'll find another way,"he attempted a positive tone, putting on an encouraging smile and reiterating his previous instructions, "Let's just see if we can find the others and then we can decide on our next move,"

Regina cleared her throat pointedly, interrupting him. When he returned his attention to her, she pointed out the window at the street that was next to the cobbled clock tower, "I don't think you'll have to look very far,"

The prince followed her finger and saw that she was right;the dwarves, Ruby, Granny and all of their other friends from the Enchanted Forest were just outside, conversing. That wasn't all, though;in the distance, he was just barely able to make out the shape of a bright yellow Beetle making its way up the main road into town.

* * *

Emma couldn't believe what she was seeing as she drove her yellow Beetle through the familiar Maine streets. All around her were buildings and _faces_ she never thought she would see again;Storybrooke really was back. She didn't know why or how, but it was-and that was a pretty terrifying thing in and of itself.

She shifted a careful glance out of the corner of her eye at the man in the seat next to her, who looked so out of place inside her automobile. She highly doubted that he had ever been inside a car before, judging by how uncomfortable he looked-though she could tell he was trying not to hide it. Emma fought down a slight smile;turnabout really wasn't fair play.

Heaving a deep, calming breath, the Saviour drove into the very center of the cursed town and parked next to the curb across from the clock tower. "Sure you're ready for this, Swan?"Hook asked her in an undertone, sounding genuinely concerned-though there was something a bit off about his voice, but she just reasoned that it was because he was just as surprised as she was to see this town again.

She let out her breath and gave him a slow, forceful nod by way of a response. "If this is where the rest of my family is, then yes, I'm more than ready,"Emma declared firmly, clenching a shaking hand in the pocket of her coat as she opened her car door and got out.

Hook followed suit, slamming the door shut behind him as he began to scan the crowd. "Well, I daresay you won't have to look very far to find your family,"he said thoughtfully, upper lip curling. When Emma swiveled her head around to look at him, clearly wondering what he meant by that, the pirate pointed down the street with his right index finger, "Your father happens to be right there,"

The blonde woman turned her head in the direction he had indicated and found that he was right. "David?"she called to the very familiar man making his way toward her and Hook, attempting to keep the tremble out of her voice.

"Emma,"David replied happily, pulling her into a fierce hug and squeezing her tight, "You remember me?" "Yeah,"Emma returned the embrace a little awkwardly, patting her father's back, "The spell Regina put on me was reversed. I remember everything,"

David forced himself to let her go after a few more minutes of reveling in the feeling of having his daughter in his arms again. When they broke apart, he cupped her cheek affectionately, thrilled that she was here, but a little worried, too.

"How?"he wondered curiously, a crease appearing between his auburn brows when he noticed the ill-concealed sorrow in her cerulean orbs. Emma jerked her head to the side. "Hook,"she answered honestly, "He reminded me of everything I'd forgotten and brought me back to the Enchanted Forest to save you guys. When you weren't there, he helped lead me back here,"

David turned to the pirate and inclined his head in a gesture of gratitude. "Thank you for bringing my daughter back to me,"he said sincerely, his aquamarine eyes slightly watery.

Hook nodded, accepting his thanks in silence. David was about to switch topics, but Regina chose that moment to interrupt and do it for him. "Where's Henry?"she cut in coolly, giving Emma an icy, piercing glare.

The Saviour wasn't immediately forthcoming with a response this time, contemplating how exactly to break the bad news. Deciding there wasn't really a delicate way to put it, she sighed. "Pan took him,"she replied in a flat, helpless tone, pursing her lips grimly.

* * *

The demon who had taken the Saviour's son and once again trapped the rest of her family in the cursed town observed this all from the hill at the far end, a crooked smile gracing his smooth, pink lips.

"It's so heartening to see the Saviour and her father back together again,"he commented with false cheeriness, eyes almost black as the sky behind him, save for a single sliver of green. He let out a low, sinister chuckle, "Sets the stage perfectly for me to rip them apart all over again,"

"And the boy?"Felix asked curiously from his right, arching a questioning eyebrow, "Do you think he's ready?"

Peter's smile morphed into one of pure malice. "Henry's coming along quite nicely,"he commented with satisfaction, meeting his subordinate's querying gaze with a piercing stare, "But he could use a little more effort," He chuckled coldly, "Don't worry, Felix. All we need to do is ensure that my spell remains intact and his mothers will regret ever interfering with my plan to kill him,"

He cast a malevolent glance down at the two women who called themselves Henry's parents. "They wouldn't let me have his heart, so it looks like I'm just going to have to take his soul instead,"he declared in an ominous whisper, speaking more to himself now than to his companion.

Felix felt the corners of his mouth twitch in amusement. There wasn't a single part of him that felt remorse for the way that they were playing Henry;any shred of humanity he might have once possessed had become a distant memory from the moment he began to follow Peter Pan.

"Are the others ready to return to Storybrooke as well?"Peter changed subjects abruptly, adopting a sudden, uncharacteristically business-like tone. His right-hand man inclined his hooded head in an affirmative. "Waiting on your command to leave,"he replied loyally, thumb hooking behind the knife handle sticking out of his belt.

His leader nodded. "Good. You have it,"he stated authoritatively, leaving no room for argument, "Tell them all to start making their way here. They will be my army-and then, the final battle can commence,"

Felix inclined his head a second time. "Understood,"he consented languidly before vanishing to carry out Pan's command, leaving Peter alone on the mountain top.

The eternal boy kept his dark, gleaming eyes focused on the figures below, lasering in on one in particular. His pirate really was doing a masterful job, playing the Saviour like the fool she was. He had them all fooled into thinking that he was still her willing slave.

Another mirthless laugh left the demon's silken lips. This really couldn't be working out any more perfectly. The Saviour-and the Evil Queen-were idiots to think they could defeat him. He was going to destroy them for their presumption-and he was going to use their precious son to do it.


	17. Chapter 17

**Storybrooke, Maine**

The Saviour did her best not to flinch when Regina strode forward, glare turning so sharp it could have cut glass. "What do you mean ''Pan took him''?"she repeated in a voice of almost icy calm, dropping her pitch to a furious hiss, "Are you telling me that he got taken by Pan on your watch a _second_ time?"

"He got captured while I was in the Enchanted Forest looking for you guys,"Emma attempted to explain, but her words died in her throat when she saw that they were only serving to anger Regina further.

"You left him while you were off in the Enchanted Forest with your boyfriend?"the former Queen exclaimed lividly, obviously seething. "I was _trying_ to keep him safe,"Emma insisted reasonably, not even acknowledging the fact that Regina had referred to Hook as her boyfriend(again), "I didn't know what we would be walking into when I went to go and save you guys and, thanks to you, I didn't even remember Pan taking Henry the first time,"

"Oh, so you're saying this is _my_ fault?"Regina retorted indignantly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No,"Emma sighed in exasperation, trying to maintain her composure, "I just-" "Okay, I think that's quite enough,"Charming cut in placatingly, laying a hand on his daughter's shoulder and shooting the former a Queen a censuring look, "It doesn't matter who's at fault. All that matters is that Henry's gone-and we need to get him back. And I think there's someone else who you should talk to about it,"

Emma looked at him furtively, raising a single blonde eyebrow. "Who?"she asked curiously, puzzled.

David took his hand off of her shoulder and stepped aside to let another easily recognizable male take his place.

"Neal?"the Saviour whispered when she laid eyes on her former love, hardly daring to believe her eyes.

Henry's father ran forward and wrapped his arms around her. "Emma,"he sighed in relief, feeling his heart lift when she began to hug him back.

Now that she remembered everything they had been through-and not just him leaving her, Emma was fully able to appreciate seeing the father of her child again. She returned his embrace, exhaling heavily through her nose.

When they finally broke apart, Neal was the first one to speak.

"So, Pan has Henry again,"he state soberly, casting a slight pall onto their tender reunion. Emma nodded, shifting her feet like a guilty child, "I know I shouldn't have left him, but-"

The brown-haired man held up a hand to stop her. "I know, it wasn't your fault, Emma,"he said consolingly, squeezing her hand in a reassuring manner before turning serious again,"But the fact remains that we don't know what Pan is planning to do with Henry this time. He's definitely not after his heart again, so what does he want from him?"

A dark look suddenly came over Regina's ivory features as she remembered everything that Pan-and the Black Fairy had said about Henry every time they'd shown up to taunt her. A mental connect-the-dots ran through her memories, putting all of the pieces together.

Henry had the Heart of the Truest Believer.

Pan was making a new curse that the Black Fairy had said Henry was going to help him. The demon had told her exactly what he planned to do with her son:

" _I'm going to make it so that he'd sooner kill any one of you than call you his family._ "

"He's going to make him a Lost Boy,"she realized with horror, brows furrowing and fists clenching by her sides. She couldn't believe she'd been so stupid that she hadn't figured out all of the clues before now. Tamesis had told her the same thing Pan had, just in different words;she just hadn't realized what either of them had meant until now.

Both of Henry's other parents stared at Regina in muted shock and disbelief, obvious concern wrinkling their foreheads. "How do you figure that one?"Emma questioned with a frown, hoping against hope that Regina was wrong.

"It was what he tried to do the last time he kidnapped him,"Regina stated matter-of-factly, knuckles whitening as she struggled to keep her anger in check. "But it didn't work out last time,"Neal pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest.

Regina inclined her head to him. "No, it didn't,"she agreed, "But that was because he had my love and Emma's and the rest of his family's to keep that from happening. And I," She sighed heavily, "I took away his memories of us-and I doubt he was feeling very friendly toward Emma when she left him to go the Enchanted Forest,"

Emma exhaled slowly. "That's probably why Pan decided to take him then,"she declared ruefully, shaking her head as she truly grasped the evil genius of Pan's plan, "He took you guys because he knew I would go to save you and he knew I wouldn't let Henry come with me;he knew I would never put Henry in danger,"

"And he knew Henry wouldn't be happy with you for leaving him behind, so he waited until you were gone and that was when he pounced,"Regina finished, shaking her head as well with grudging admiration. She never thought she'd ever meet someone more diabolical than her or Rumplestiltskin;that had been before she'd met Peter Pan.

"If Pan succeeds in turning Henry, then what happens?"Emma quipped fearfully, looking back and forth between Regina and Neal with wide eyes.

The Queen and the Dark One's son locked gazes as the woman answered, "Then Pan will use him to enact his new Dark Curse, and he will destroy us all,"

* * *

That night, another portal opened between worlds at the edge of the cursed town and a procession of cloaked figures began to come through. Like wraiths, they appeared at the farthest reach of town, surrounding it in positions similar to sentries.

They were greeted by a familiar leather-clad male in a waistcoat, who stood just outside the town line with a crooked smile on his lips. When the eldest caught sight of the pirate, he grinned as well.

"Are you the welcoming committee, then?"he drawled sardonically, drawing out his vowels as per usual while he swung his club over his shoulder in a deceptively casual manner.

Hook gave a low chuckle at his quip. "Pan wanted me to make sure you and the others got settled, so yes, I suppose I am,"he commented archly, his good hand retreating into his coat pocket, "Everything is in place. I assume you have your orders?"

The tall, hooded male ticked his head forward in an affirmative, drumming his long fingers on the handle of his weapon. "We do,"he confirmed languidly, grey eyes hardening into granite. The pirate gestured with his hook for Felix and the others to continue on their way inside.

"Well then, I guess you know what he wants you to do next,"he stood aside to let them pass, sounding faintly amused.

Felix beckoned to the other Lost Boys to follow him and, one by one, they all crossed the town line, entering the town where they had first become what they were now.

Hook watched them cross over with satisfaction, his upper lip curling slightly when he saw the brown-cloaked boy trailing close at Felix's heels. Brown hair, hazel eyes and a misleadingly frail and childish form.

"Welcome back to Storybrooke, Henry,"Killian said cordially as the brunette passed, eyes glinting at the boy's new attire.

Henry returned his greeting with a mischievous grin, showing his small, even teeth. "Good to see you again, Captain,"he replied amicably, tossing him an amused wink before the other boys ushered him forward and he was forced to pick up his pace.

Hook felt an odd sense of accomplishment fill him as he watched the Lost Believer's retreating back. He probably should have felt horrified by his part in turning the Saviour's son to the dark side, but he didn't. This was Pan's plan coming to perfect fruition and he had had a big hand in that.

He knew that once the Lost Boys started wreaking havoc in Storybrooke, Emma was going to want him to really stand up and be there for her. She was going to need someone who knew the demon's endgame in turning her precious son against her;but she was going to be sorely disappointed.

Hook wasn't in this for her anymore-he hadn't been for a very long time now. No, he was in this because he'd finally realized that he liked being the man he'd been while in Peter Pan's employ-and that was a villain.

* * *

**Neverland**

Everything was falling into place. Everything was playing out exactly the way he wanted it to. All of the pieces of his curse were ready. All that was left was the final requirement:the death of the greatest of light.

Peter came down from his perch in the branches of one of the island's many trees and landed nimbly on his feet to join the woman who was waiting for him below. His partner, the Black Fairy cocked an eyebrow at him when he came to stand in front of her.

"Enjoying yourself?"she asked with amusement, dark eyes glinting behind her winged black mask. It was a rhetorical question, of course;Pan always enjoyed his little games.

The eternal boy grinned, showing his sharp, pointed teeth, and answered her question exactly as she'd expected him to. "Why wouldn't I be?I'm winning,"he replied cheerfully, brows lifting as if he found the question ridiculous. His grin widened as he continued to speak.

"I have the Saviour and her family all back in one place, the pirate wrapped around my little finger and Henry is a stone's throw from being where I need him to be in order to complete this curse." He ticked off each point on his slender fingers before turning to the black-haired sorceress and asking a question of his own, "You did get the Queen's blood, right?"

Tamesis nodded. "Of course,"she confirmed imperiously, reaching inside her voluminous cloak and producing a glass vial filled with a thick crimson substance, "It's right here," She held the vial out to Peter, who took it from her with a slight tilt of his head.

"Excellent,"he practically purred, sounding almost like a contented cat as he held the glass up to eye-level and shaking it lightly, eyes flashing like acid when the liquid inside swirled with murky blackness.

"Now all we need is for Henry's soul to finish its descent and we will have our curse-and fortunately, this time, there will be no one strong enough to stop me."

"You've played them all brilliantly, Peter,"she praised him with sincere admiration, drawing her black velvet hood back over her head with a flourish, "The Saviour and the _former_ Queen should have known better than to challenge you-and the Dark One was a fool to think that he could kill you. But you've definitely taught them their lessons,"

Peter met her obsidian gaze with a bright gleam in his ever-changing eyes, which looked more demonic than ever in the island's perpetual twilight. "Oh, I'm not finished with them quite yet-not even close,"he declared silkily. He lowered his eyes back to the vial filled with Regina's blood before finishing his sentence in a quiet hiss, "All of them, the last thing they will learn before they forget who they are is that I can't be stopped. Even when they think I'm defeated, when they think they've won, I find a way-and that is why I _never_ fail,"

* * *

**Storybrooke, Maine**

There was absolutely no logical reason for her to be doing this right now. Emma knew that this was breaking some ingrained rule of hers, but she couldn't stop herself. Against her better judgement-and her father's advice-she was on her way to Granny's bed and breakfast to talk to the pirate who had brought her back to Storybrooke.

She'd sworn from the beginning that, after what had happened with Neal, she would never let another man close enough to her heart to break it. Having Henry had only doubled her resolve to maintain that vow;or, at least, in her false memories, it had. Once her real memories had returned, she knew she'd definitely made some mistakes with men-a _lot_ of mistakes-but none of them probably even compared to this one.

When she and Hook had been in Neverland and he had admitted to being in love with her, she hadn't known how to react. She'd denied that that kiss they had shared previously had meant anything to her, but, now that she looked back on it, she knew that she hadn't been telling the whole truth.

After Pan's curse had hit and he'd taken her parents, the pirate had been the one to take her to rescue them, to remind her of who she was and what she had been born for. He had been there for her when no one else was and he had never betrayed her.

A part of her had always been suspicious of his motives, but the more optimistic part of her wanted to believe that he had changed from the man who would stop at nothing to get his revenge. That was the part of her that was actually willing to admit that maybe she was falling a little bit in love with him as well.

Even though it was the middle of the night, Emma had decided to go and see Hook to thank him for all of his help in getting her back to her family and remembering what she had lost. She'd helped him get a room at their local bed and breakfast earlier on in the day since he didn't have his ship or any other place to stay. She didn't know how she could ever adequately express her gratitude, though;simply saying ''thank you'' just didn't really seem like enough.

Almost all of the lights were off in the little cottage when she reached it, except for the one in the front window. That usually meant that Granny was still up, probably waiting up for Ruby or any last minute customers. Or, at least, that had been the case before Regina's curse had been broken;now, though, Emma wasn't really sure what it meant.

She walked purposefully through the dense green hedges and up the driveway to the front door. However, when she opened it, she the front desk and the surrounding foyer completely deserted.

A frown creased her white forehead;that was strange. Perhaps Granny had simply forgotten to turn the lights off before she'd gone to bed?That was a possibility, given how old she was.

Emma's confusion only grew, however, when she climbed the stairs to the floor that the room she'd set Hook up with was on and discovered that his door was partially ajar, and as she neared it, she heard voices coming from inside. Two male voices that recognized-and one that made her freeze in abject horror.

**captainpancaptainpancaptainpancaptainpancaptainpancaptainpancaptainpancaptainpancaptainpancaptainpancaptainpancaptainpancaptainpancaptainpan**

Hook knew the first thing he would find when he got back from welcoming the Lost Boys into town would be their leader-and he had been right. The second he had walked in the door of his room, he had found Peter waiting for him on his bed, reclining back as if he owned it. And, even though Hook had been expecting him, the pirate still couldn't help but stare-because he definitely hadn't been expecting Peter to be dressed in somewhat modern clothes.

The king of Neverland was clad in a collared navy blue t-shirt that revealed a tantalizing expanse of his tawny chest underneath a burgundy leather vest. His long, muscled legs, which he had crossed at the ankles, were encased in a pair of black stonewashed jeans that ran into his knee-high combat boots;in those clothes, he looked almost like a regular teenage boy. Almost.

"I'm surprised you didn't bring your ship with you, Captain,"he said by way of a greeting, slender fingers picking idly at the off-white bedspread under him. Hook shrugged offhandedly. "Emma wanted to take her car and I didn't think it prudent to let her walk in here alone,"he replied, lifting one of his leather-clad shoulders in a careless gesture and closing the door behind him, "I didn't think you would want me to, either,"

Peter chuckled softly, a quiet, sinuous sound that reverberated within Hook's ears and sent a rush of heat coursing through his body. "Well, it would have been a lot more... _private_ ,"he pointed out huskily, eyes darkening when they fell on Hook's mouth as the man's tongue darted out to lick his lips.

The pirate arched a dark brown eyebrow as he climbed onto the bed next to Peter and propped himself up on one of his elbows. "I thought that was your plan, to have me caught once I succeeded in getting Emma back to Storybrooke,"he prodded, his other eyebrow lifting to join the first as he reminded the immortal of some of his earlier words.

He didn't resist when Peter placed a hand on his chest and pushed him onto his back, straddling his lap before inching forward until their faces were mere centimeters apart. "Oh, it was,"he confirmed lowly, dragging his hands down the pirate's front.

Hook's eyebrows arched up higher as Pan's fingers curled around the metal buckle of his belt. "And when do you suppose that plan will be coming to completion?"he questioned playfully, arching his back when his shirt was pulled out from underneath the waist of his slacks and he felt a hand skim over his lower stomach.

"Don't you trust me, Killian?"Peter crooned with a feigned pout, batting his eyes underneath those ridiculously long lashes of his. He stroked the pirate through his slacks, lips brushing over his unshaven cheek as they lowered next to his ear, "It just so happens that we have an audience at this very moment,"

The copper-haired man groaned as Peter ground their hips together as he pressed the heel of his palm against the growing bulge in Killian's pants. "Well,then,"he started in a slightly breathless tone, rubbing himself shamelessly against Peter's hand, "Let's give them a show, shall we?"

He seized the nape of Peter's neck and pulled him against his body, claiming those stunningly pink lips in a fierce kiss. He surrendered control, though, when Peter's tongue parted his lips and slipped inside, savaging the pirate's mouth with his own. Hook tasted blood a second later, and he wasn't sure if it was his or Peter's.

They slid together more closely and Killian worked his good hand into Peter's jeans, matching the demon's strokes on his cock with ones of his own as their kiss grew even deeper. Hook's mind spun and he moaned wantonly into Peter's mouth, completely forgoing all semblance of dignity or morals.

He no longer cared if this was wrong;he didn't care if this was going against every decent part left in his body or if this would end with him on the fast track to Hell. He'd told Peter he loved him for a reason;he'd meant it. He hadn't intended on ever saying it out loud, but it was the truth. He loved Peter;he wanted him, he _craved_ him like he never had anything or anyone.

Peter caged him against the mattress, quickening his fingers over Hook's shaft and using his mouth to bring the pirate closer and closer to the edge. His teeth nipped at Hook's already swollen bottom lips, lapping voraciously at the blood that pooled on the surface.

"You're _mine,_ "he hissed possessively, raising his voice so that their ''audience'' could hear him as well. He seized the pirate's chin with his free hand, smirking as Killian let out another moan. "And now everyone else will know, including the _Saviour_ ;you've _always_ been mine,"

"Yes,"Hook panted helplessly, voice completely wrecked as Peter thumbed over his dripping slit one last time, sending him over the edge, "Peter!" He cried out the demon's name over and over again as he spilled into his hand until it became a soft, whimpering sound.

Peter's teeth sank into his neck as he joined him after Hook gave him a final stroke as well. Semen flowed freely through the pirate's knuckles and he nuzzled Peter affectionately, breathing in his undeniably intoxicating scent.

They were both so occupied with coming down from their post-orgasmic high that neither one of them really noticed the door opening, or the presence of a third person entering the room. At least, not until that person decided to make their presence known by clearing their throat, effectively breaking into their blissful haze.

"What the hell is going on here?"Emma shouted in disgust, eyes narrowed into slits.


	18. Chapter 18

**Storybrooke, Maine**

"What the hell is going on here?"the Saviour exclaimed in disgust as she came into the room, blue eyes narrowed into slits. She couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. She didn't know whether to be horrified or appalled-so she settled on both.

Hook couldn't help but grin, both from the look on Emma's face and from the muffled sound of Peter chuckling into his neck. He nudged the immortal and stood up as Peter rolled off of him, not even bothering to make himself look more presentable before responding.

"Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag,"he declared unabashedly, sharing a brief, amused glance with the boy on his bed before turning back to Emma with a cheeky smile. He strode toward her, crossing his arms over his exposed chest. "Go on, then, Saviour. Make your accusations and insults. Whatever they are, I'm ready for them."

Emma shook her head, nose wrinkling at the scent of sex that was still heavy in the air. "What are you doing?With _him?_ "she queried in a hiss, still hoping that his response would be anything other than what she was thinking. She didn't want to believe that she'd really just seen Hook doing she didn't even want to know what with Peter Pan.

Unfortunately, the pirate didn't seem to care too much about her peace of mind or her feelings because he told her exactly what she didn't want to hear.

"You saw it, didn't you?"Killian lifted one of his leather-clad shoulders in a careless shrug, "I don't know what else you need to hear. Peter and I were-" "Ah!"Emma clapped her hands over her ears childishly, cutting Hook off and making Pan smirk from behind him.

She closed her eyes for a second, pushing back the bile that rose in her throat as the scene she'd just witnessed continued to play in her head. It was painfully obvious what they had been doing;she just didn't want to think about it. "Please tell me he forced you into it and that this was the only time it happened,"she pleaded desperately when she opened her eyes again and dropped her hands.

Pan's smirk morphed into a fully-fledged sneer and he answered for Hook, drawing Emma's glare onto him. "Oh, it isn't,"he stated vindictively, swinging his long legs over the side of the bed and getting to his feet, already back in pristine condition. His dark eyes slid narrowly to his partner and stayed on him while he continued to address the Saviour, "And even I could never force our dear captain to do something he didn't want to. In fact, I do recall him _begging_ me to out our little dalliances to all of you heroes,"

The blonde woman stared at him venomously, scepticism etched into every inch of her alabaster features. "And why should I believe anything you say? "

"Because he's telling you the truth,"Hook cut in bluntly, moving to stand next to Peter and situating himself back in the Saviour's sight-line. He met her icy gaze without blinking and just laid it all out in a coldly matter-of-fact tone: "I've been working for him from the beginning, since before I came to find you in New York-and it was _my_ idea to put an end to the charade and have you catch us together,"

His former love gaped at him in horror;she didn't know what to say to that. This was definitely not at all what she had expected to happen when she decided to come and see Hook tonight.

"Why?"she asked quietly when she finally managed to find her voice again, feeling moisture beginning to well up behind her eyes. Blinking back tears, she forced herself to look the pirate in the eye as she spoke. "You told me you loved me. Why would you do this to me?"

Hook scoffed disdainfully, rolling his eyes. "That was a mistake,"he said flatly, "Telling you that when I knew that there was no way you would ever say it back, or ever think of me as more than just someone to push around, was by far the stupidest thing I have ever done," He raked a scathing glance over the blonde, upper lip curling, "You'd always thought you were too good for me, and you were right. I thought I had to make myself better in order for you to love me so that I would be happy again-but I found a better way,"

It wasn't until he moved to stand closer to Pan and the eternal boy brushed a hand over his arm that Emma understood what he meant. She opened her mouth to retort, but Hook held up a hand to forestall her.

"You can say Pan's manipulating me or controlling my mind, but I _never_ had to act like someone I'm not to get _him_ to give me the time of day,"he stated firmly, lifting his chin as if daring Emma to contradict him. He tugged absently on the collar of his coat, exposing the blotchy red hickey standing out stark against the skin of his neck, "And, as you can see, I get something other than contempt for serving him,"

"So that's why you chose him?Because of the _benefits_?"the woman seethed bitterly, hissing the last word as if it were a filthy swear word. Her ire only increased when both of the males in the room snorted with mirth.

"He chose me because he is _mine_ ,"Peter intoned emphatically, eyes roiling like live acid beneath his thick lashes. "You were just a convenient excuse for him to stay away from me and not admit who he really belonged to-but I knew he'd accept it, eventually,"he finished casually as if they were merely discussing the weather.

The pirate rolled his neck before adding without hesitation, "I chose Peter because I love _him_. And, unlike you, he wasn't content to let me sacrifice everything for him without giving anything in return-because _that_ is how a real partnership works,"

Emma had to force herself not to flinch at the vehemence with which he uttered those words, but to no avail, She knew he was right, too;he'd done so much for her and she'd never given him anything in return. That didn't mean she had to like it, though.

"So that's it, then?You're just, what?Pan's boyfriend now and to hell with everyone else?Don't you even care that he kidnapped my family and killed my mother?"she shot at him furiously, scandalized by Hook's admission.

Her brows furrowed when the copper-haired man shook his head at her as if she were a stupid child. Then he told her what she'd really been dreading all along: " _I_ killed your mother, Swan." He tilted his head at Pan, who looked thrilled at Emma's revulsion, "He may have been the one who gave the order, but I was the one who did the deed and I did it willingly, so we're the same. He's no more horrible than I am,"

Emma was speechless;she couldn't speak-all she could do was gawk at him, wounded by his disloyalty. And then, just to drive the knife in further, Pan just had to make a remark.

"Tough luck, Saviour,"he clicked his tongue with feigned sympathy, lips curving in what was almost a leer. He showed his sharp, pointed teeth, looking more pernicious than ever. "It looks like you've lost not just one love to me, but two."

The Saviour snarled and lunged for him blindly, but Hook stepped into her path, pointing his hook at her threateningly. "You don't get to touch him,"he said dangerously, freezing her with his frigid gaze. He gave her a mocking smile. "Not that you could actually hurt him, but we were in the middle of something, so if you don't mind,"he gestured with his good hand toward the door, leaving no room for argument.

The blonde was torn between outrage and scandalization. She had no idea what she was more angry about;Hook killing her mother or Hook being in love with Peter Pan, of all people.

Struggling to regain some semblance of composure, she steeled herself to hold her head high and respond. "I'll tell everyone about your deception,"she threatened, voice trembling with badly suppressed emotion.

The pirate gave her an indulgent look. "Do what you want,"he said, appearing supremely unconcerned by her provocation, crossing his arms over his chest again, "But I'm done being your little pawn. I hope you can live with yourself, knowing that you pushed not only me away, but your son as well,"

Emma turned on her heel, unwilling to hear anymore. She yanked the oak door shut behind her as she stormed out without a backward glance, tears severely blurring her vision. She had never thought anything would hurt as bad as Neal leaving her to take the fall for his watch heist, but that had almost nothing on the pain she felt now.

She clapped a hand over her mouth, surprised that she was getting so emotional over this;she'd never really thought about it before, but maybe she _did_ have feelings for Hook-otherwise, why else would his betrayal hurt this much?

As she ran away from the bed and breakfast, trying desperately to rein in her emotions, she recalled what Hook had said about Pan when they were in Neverland.

" _Careful. He may look like a boy, but he's a bloody demon_."

Well, it turned out that the pirate couldn't have been more right, Emma realized. Pan really _was_ a demon-a demon whose spell Hook had fallen under. He was an enemy again now-and she had to warn her family.

* * *

Unruffled by Emma's stormy departure, Hook turned back around to face Peter, who had a triumphant gleam in his sea glass eyes. "Well, that went well, didn't it?"he commented with a playful grin, sitting back down on his bed.

Peter returned his grin, a soft snicker slipping from his pink lips as he invaded Hook's personal space again, sliding lithely onto his lap. "You got your wish, Captain,"he stated smoothly, placing his hands behind the pirate's neck, a serpentine expression on his olive-skinned features, "You no longer have to pretend to be a _hero_ ," He sneered the word as if it left a nasty taste in his mouth, "Now everyone will know who you belong to-and who you serve,"

He gripped the hair at the nape of Hook's neck tightly, dragging his face forward until their noses were almost touching and making Hook's breath hitch as he inhaled the faint scent of pine and smoke. "Are you happy?"he asked carefully, gazing up at the pirate through slightly lowered lashes.

Hook smoothed his good hand down Peter's right side, feeling the corded muscle beneath his two layers of clothing. He didn't even have to think about the answer to that question. "I am,"he whispered with complete sincerity, blue eyes carrying no trace of deception.

The immortal's sinister smirk melted into a genuinely pleased smile. He brushed a thumb affectionately over Killian's bottom lip. "Say it,"he commanded huskily, lips whispering against the pirate's as he edged even closer until there was hardly a sliver of space between them.

His partner waggled his eyebrows cockily, shifting his hand so it rested on Peter's shoulder. He knew exactly what the eternal boy wanted him to say and he had no qualms with acquiescing.

"I love you,"he conceded honestly, meeting those swirling emerald orbs without blinking. His heart rate increased substantially when Peter pressed their chests tightly together, capturing his lips in a searing kiss.

Hook responded instantly, pulling Peter against his body and parting his lips to allow Peter's tongue entrance. He sucked the organ into his mouth, surprised at the lack of teeth or bruises. This was truly a rare occurrence;Peter's kisses were hardly ever gentle-and they definitely never had this much...feeling in them.

There were no words to describe how inexplicably happy he was. He'd never thought Peter Pan would be the one to heal his heart after Milah's death(murder)-and somehow, what he felt for Pan was even stronger than what he had felt for her. No, actually, stronger wasn't the right word;it was simply...different.

What he'd had with Milah had been tender, sweet and new;he'd never been in love before her. But Pan, his second great love, what they had was dark and twisted and dangerous and...he'd never felt more alive than he did with the demon boy in his arms.

It wasn't until they broke apart for air and Peter was lounging on his bare chest that the immortal finally returned his sentiment and uttered the words "I love you, too" into the crook of his neck.

* * *

Standing outside the door of her father's loft, Emma inhaled deeply to try and compose herself before going inside. Her key was in her left hand, which was trembling with badly suppressed emotion. The events that had occurred at Granny's over the last half hour were still playing in her mind, had been ever since she had left and she couldn't get over what had happened. Though she'd honestly been just waiting for Hook to turn against her, she'd inwardly hoped that it would never happen. And she definitely hadn't wanted him to betray her because he was in love with Peter Pan, of all things.

She didn't know what she was going to do now;she didn't know what any of them were going to do. The last time they had faced Pan, they'd had the Dark One on their side and, according to Neal, that was no longer the case. With him and Henry both under Pan's control, Emma didn't know if there was any way to defeat the demon. Hook had been their last and best hope since he was the only person who knew Pan as well as Gold did. Now he had turned, too.

The blonde heaved a resigned sigh and unlocked the door, doing her best to keep calm as she entered the apartment. She knew she must have looked a real mess;her face was probably all swollen and blotchy from crying, but she didn't have time to clean up. She had to tell the rest of her family immediately that the man they'd all been relying on, the man they'd thought was their friend was now an enemy once again.

She ducked underneath the metal staircase and crept into her parents bedroom, which was currently only being occupied by her father since her mother was dead. "David,"she gently shook her father to rouse him, sitting down next to him on the side of the bed.

It was several moments before the prince finally stirred and turned his head to blink up at her over his shoulder. "Emma?"he said blearily, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand a he sat up, "What's going on?"

Emma bit her bottom lip, deciding how best to deliver her awful news. David started at the sight of his daughter so obviously distressed. "Emma, honey, what's wrong?"he questioned worriedly, his forehead wrinkling. His daughter shifted uneasily, letting out a deep breath before speaking.

"Mary Margaret is dead,"she told him in a small voice, looking down at her shoes so that she wouldn't have to see her fathers expression. Her lip quivered as she continued, "She was murdered. I found her almost right before I came back here,"

David was silent for a long time while e digested her words. He felt a lump of sorrow rise in his throat;his wife was dead. The woman he loved, the mother of his child had been killed. There were no words to describe the heartbreak as horror he felt at hearing that.

He steeled himself not to dissolve into grief, though, because he was sure that that wasn't the only thing that was making his daughter so upset. "Do you know who did it?"he queried carefully, wondering if the murderer was the source of her torment.

Emma lifted her gaze from the floor, knowing that she couldn't avoid this for a second longer. She took another deep breath and then declared in as composed a voice as she could muster:"It was Hook. Pan gave him the order, but he carried it out willingly. He killed her and he didn't think twice about it,"

Her father stared at her, finally comprehending the reason behind her expression. She'd trusted the pirate, put her faith in him and he had destroyed that faith.

He laid a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Emma,"he wrapped an arm around her neck in an attempt at comfort, pulling her into the bed next to him. He hesitated to do anything but console her after what she so obviously considered to be a major upheaval. This was going to change everything.

* * *

This time, Neal woke up to the sound of a phone ringing next to his head. He grumbled under his breath, opening his eyes and turning the clock on the bedside table to face him. The blinking green numbers read "6:00am". He pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation as the phone's incessant chiming continued to grate on his ears;who on Earth was calling him at this hour?

Muttering a curse, he took his hand off of the alarm clock and reached for the phone's white receiver, bringing it up to his ear. "Hello?"he said groggily into the mouthpiece, kneading his brow with the side of his free hand.

"Neal?"Emma's voice came through the other end and he jolted up, alarmed by the faint tremor in her tone. "Emma?"he replied carefully, sitting up as a concerned frown wrinkled his forehead, "What's going on?"

There was a brief pause before a sigh crackled over the speakers and Emma spoke again. "Look, I know it's early, but I need to talk to you. Can you meet me at the diner?I'm already there with David,"she asked seriously.

"Of course,"Neal answered without hesitation, throwing back the covers on the bed and hastily swinging his legs over the side, "Just give me a minute to throw some clothes on and I'll be right there," 

He heard Emma exhale heavily with what he assumed was relief. "Good. I'll see you soon, then." There was a click and then the line went dead.

The Dark One's son set the receiver back onto its cradle, the frown om his forehead deepening as he set about putting his day clothes on. He really hadn't liked the slight shake in his ex-girlfriend's tone;if something could get Emma to break her normally collected demeanour, then it definitely couldn't be good. And what boded ill for the Saviour, right now boded ill for them all.

As he was finishing buttoning up his shirt, he heard the distinct sound of voices coming from one of the other rooms of the apartment he was staying in;the living room, judging by their volume. His frown turned into one of consternation;the front door was locked and the windows were all rusted shut so he would have been able to hear it if someone came in through one of them. There was no way anyone could have gotten in without his notice, unless they'd teleported in or something.

Trepidation filled him and he crept quietly out of the bedroom to see who had broken into the apartment, preparing himself for the possibility of a fight. He froze in his tracks when he reached the sitting room and caught sight of the two cloaked boys standing in the middle of it.

The tall blonde in the black cloak was unexpected enough, but it was the shorter one in the brown cloak that nearly made his heart stop. "Henry?"he whispered with mixed shock and horror, hoping to God this eyes were playing tricks on him and that he wasn't really seeing this.

Unfortunately, he had no such luck.

"Hey, Dad,"his son greeted him mockingly with a sneer that looked woefully out of place on his youthful features.

Neal felt his mouth go dry and he couldn't speak. His eyes were sending images to his brain, but he stubbornly refused to believe them. His son couldn't have become a Lost Boy;he _couldn't_.

His eyes narrowed at the black-cloaked male who was positioned next to his son;he looked perfectly relaxed, as if he weren't in a hostile environment with a man who, at that moment, really wanted to kill him-or at least punch him again. "What are you doing here?"he asked when he finally found his voice again, addressing Henry but keeping his eyes fixed firmly on Felix.

Henry's answer, though, forced him to turn his attention back onto his son. "I thought you'd be happy to see me,"he faked hurt, sneer morphing into a wounded pout. He crossed his arms over his slender chest, causing the side of his cloak to shift and allowing Neal to catch a glimpse of the bronze scabbard belted around his waist and the discernible sword handle protruding out of it.

While he stared, Henry continued to speak. "After all, it _has_ been a year. Haven't you missed me?"he quipped;the question itself would have been completely innocent if it hadn't been for the uncharacteristically caustic tone he'd asked it in.

Neal tensed, feeling the back of his neck prickle and his hackles rise. This had to be some sort of an act;this Henry was nothing like the one he'd come to know and love so much. "Of course I missed you, but, Henry, what happened to you?"he responded with another question of his own, clenching his left hand into a fist next to his hip.

It was Felix who answered him this time, though, and he did so in a deceptively casual manner, lethargically leaning back against the armrest of the couch behind him. "I told you, Baelfire:Henry's found a new family now,"the elder drawled boastfully, lengthening his vowels to emphasize the words.

The adult looked desperately back and forth between the two boys, searching for any indication that Felix was lying, but both of them were utterly inscrutable. His heart sank like a stone as reality hit him like a punch in the gut;another member of his family had been manipulated into Pan's clutches. The demon had turned not only his father, but his son against him as well.

He pushed down his anguish as he turned a beseeching glance on his son, intent on making an attempt to get through to him. "Henry, _I'm_ your family,"he insisted forcefully, taking a tentative step forward, not rising to Felix's thinly-veiled provocation. "I'm your father-and I'll always be your father. You know that I _never_ left you by choice-and that Pan and Felix are _not_ people you can trust,"

The younger brunette lifted his small chin, a defiant gleam hardening his hazel eyes into bronze. " _Pan_ is the only family I need,"he retorted vehemently, disregarding his father's sentiment completely.

He paused, tossing a brief glance at his fellow Lost One before adding calmly, "And he wanted me to give you a message to take to the _Saviour_ ," He hissed his mother's title as if it were a filthy insult, instead of a compliment, making his father flinch when he finished his sentence, "The endgame begins now,"

With that, the two boys vanished, leaving Neal to gape at their vacated spots.

* * *

The sun was rising at the edge of the cursed town and the sky was streaming a multitude of different colours when the portal through which the Lost boys had entered the real world opened for the second and final time.

It was as if a black hole had appeared amidst the backdrop of blue, red, orange, pink and purple-only instead of absorbing all the light, it was emitting it. When the light faded, one by one, three figures stepped out of the portal and onto the road beneath them.

The first to come through observed the once-magicless town through the eyes of her winged mask. A cruel smile curled her glossy ink-black lips. "So this is what Storybrooke looks like on the outside,"she commented mildly. She clicked her tongue in an unimpressed manner. "I can't say that it's much better on the inside."

Next to her, the only male of the trio let out a rueful chuckle. "You think it's bad now, trying being trapped there for twenty-eight years without knowing who you really are,"he stated flatly, jaw working furiously to contain his distaste. He didn't think he'd ever see this town again;after dying here, he'd never _wanted_ to see this town again. The only consolation at being back here was that at least he had his memories this time-and he was going to help make the Evil Queen pay, not only for being the one who imprisoned him here in the first place, but also for killing him.

The third and final member of their group raised her twin white-blonde eyebrows at him. "At least _you_ were human. Regina had _me_ cursed into a constant state of changing forms and do you know how painful shapeshifting is when it isn't voluntary?"Maleficent inwardly shuddered at the memory. She was definitely still smarting over that one.

"Well, luckily for you, you'll all be the ones doing the cursing and trapping this time,"a silky British accent cut into their conversation, bright tone at odds with the ominous words.

The three new arrivals watched as their leader materialized on the other side of the town line with a welcoming smile on his pink lips. He wasn't alone, however;his pirate stood at his left, good hand tucked into one of his leather waistcoat's pockets.

Peter made eye contact with each of them in turn before showing his white, tombstone-like teeth and saying in a deceptively amiable tone, "Welcome back to Storybrooke, the town of the damned,"

His partner crossed over the town line first, nodding a polite greeting to the pirate before addressing the blonde boy. "I take it everything is in place, then?"she questioned smoothly, arching a single midnight eyebrow in his direction.

The demon shared an amused glance with the man next to him, waiting until he grinned back and then inclining his head in an affirmative. "Everything has been set,"he confirmed with satisfaction, meeting the Black Fairy's obsidian voids with a vindictive twinkle in his emerald ones. He paused for a beat, then declared in a whisper, "Storybrooke is about to become my new kingdom-and there is no one who can stop it,"

The other sorceress and the Huntsman stepped over the town line to join their leader and the other two. They were ready to finally get their revenge against the people of this town.

This was going to be fun.


	19. Chapter 19

When Neal entered the diner, there was a look on his face that Emma really didn't like. "Neal?Is everything okay?"the blonde asked carefully as he sat down, scrutinizing him through her thin lashes.

Her companion's brows furrowed at the innocuous question;he didn't really know how to answer that. Physically, he was fine;mentally, on the other hand, well, that was a completely different story.

After a long silence, he finally responded in as steady voice as he could manage. "I saw Henry,"he told Emma flatly, doing his best to meet her piercing blue eyes.

Her eyebrows shot up so high, they were in danger of disappearing into her hairline. "What do you mean you ''saw'' Henry?Where?When?"she demanded rapidly, forehead creasing heavily.

Neal's bottom lip caught between his twin rows of teeth while he attempted to decide exactly how to tell her what had happened. "He was in my room, just before I came here, but he wasn't alone,"he paused, considering. His frown deepened as he inhaled deeply and finished his sentence, "Emma, he was with Felix,"

Emma stared at him in muted shock-and probably disbelief. "Felix?As in Pan's right-hand man?"the Saviour repeated faintly, hoping against hope that that wasn't who he meant. She was just waiting for him to say "No, as in Felix who lives across the street", but her hopes were dashed pretty quickly when Neal nodded an affirmative about a second later. Forced to accept the truth, she sighed. "So what does that mean?"she wondered uneasily.

The Dark One's son gave her a resigned look. "It means that Regina was right,"he declared darkly, "Our son has become a Lost Boy,"

David stopped dead on his way out of the bathroom at hearing the end of that sentence. "What did you just say?"he quipped in horror, sure that he had heard wrong.

Neal turned around to face him with a defeated look on his coffee-coloured features. "Henry's a Lost Boy,"he repeated grimly, brows lowering in consternation. He hated having to admit that he had failed at preventing his son from making the same mistakes that he had.

The prince dropped into the seat next to his daughter, putting one of his hands on top of hers before looking back at the other man and asking another question, "How do you know that?"

"He saw him,"Emma answered for her ex, darting a furtive glance at him from across the table, "And he was with Pan's second-in-command, Felix. But I refuse to believe that it's really that cut-and-dried;I refuse to believe that he would become one of _them_ just because I didn't take him to the Enchanted Forest with me,"

Both of the men turned to look at her. "So what are you thinking, then, Emma?"Neal asked anxiously, arching a single dirty brown eyebrow.

The Saviour inhaled deeply, measuring her words carefully and casting a brief glance at her father before replying. "I think Pan probably did something to him,"she stated without hesitation, voice shaking with barely suppressed fury, "He did something to make Henry think I didn't love him or had really abandoned him or something to convince him to become a Lost Boy. Because, no matter how mad at me he was, he wouldn't have just turned against me like this,"

Neal badly wanted to believe that what Emma was saying was the truth;he didn't want to accept that his son was now his enemy any more than she did.

He started to open his mouth to comment on her theory, but just as he began to speak, the front door of the diner was violently kicked in, sending broken shards of glass flying everywhere. Behind the counter, Ruby's grandmother pulled out a crossbow and aimed the bolt at the doorway. "Who's there?Show yourself,"she called out fiercely, putting on a mask of bravery.

Emma raised her head from where she'd ducked underneath the table and her blue eyes widened as a pair of hooded figures appeared in the doorway, wind rustling their large black cloaks.

They crossed over the threshold with deliberate slowness, bearing an uncanny resemblance to predators advancing on their prey.

"Stay back or I'll shoot,"the diner's owner shouted threateningly, raising her weapon higher and directing it right at the taller figure's head. Emma reached into her jacket and withdrew her gun as well, just in case.

A low, undaunted chuckle emitted from beneath the figure's hood, a chuckle that sent shivers down everyone's spine. The figure raised its head enough that they could see underneath the hood, revealing a very familiar pale, scarred face;the face of one of the Lost Boys they'd just been discussing. Neal, more than everyone else, was frozen because it was the same boy he had seen with his son not even twenty minutes ago.

Felix didn't even acknowledge Emma, Neal or David;he hardly even acknowledged the old woman's threat. He just jerked his chin in the barest trace of a nod and then, suddenly, there was a long, rusty knife sticking out of Widow Lucas's chest.

She choked and the entire diner watched in horror as blood trickled out of the corner of her mouth before she keeled over onto the ground, clearly dead. When she hit the floor, they were able to see her assailant:a third hooded figure who seemed to have appeared out of thin air.

Emma jumped to her feet, unwilling to see anything else they were going to do. "Stop right there,"she commanded firmly, trying to keep the slight tremble out of her voice as she pointed her gun at the eldest Lost Boy.

The blonde male's cold grey eyes fell on her and a ruthless smile twisted his thin, bloodless lips;the scar on the side of his face made his expression look even more sinister than it already did. "Saviour,"he greeted her in a low, rumbling growl, eyes flashing slightly beneath the rim of his thick, black hood, "What makes you think I'd ever take orders from you?"

He vanished, reappearing behind one of the diner's other customers, holding his knife against the dwarf's throat as his coffee mug crashed onto the floor. "Baelfire didn't deliver your son's message, so it looks like I'll have to do it myself,"the scarred boy hissed. He locked eyes with Emma, who was still pointing her gun at him.

"Pan's endgame begins now,"he declared malevolently before slitting the dwarf's throat and vanishing again, this time along with his two companions.

"Leroy!"Charming shouted the second the Lost Ones were gone, running over to his fallen friend while Neal rounded the table to go check on Emma. There was a silence for several moments while the prince grieved over the dwarf's death and Emma attempted to come to grips with what had just happened;it was broken by the sound of Emma's cell phone ringing.

She reached her free hand into her pocket, pulling out the slim black device and pressing the green answer button before holding it up to her ear. "Yeah?"she said into the mouthpiece, fighting back tears .

Ruby's voice came through the speaker and her words didn't do anything to lift Emma's mood; "Dr. Whale has been murdered,"

* * *

Killian leaned casually back against the brick wall as he used a white handkerchief to clean the blood off of his hook. There was nothing he could do about the dark stains on his clothes, however;murder was a lot messier now than he was used to when it had to be an _example_.

He was performing a last brush-off of his metal weapon when the air rushed around him and another hand covered his own, wresting the grimy cloth from his grasp. "I think you're just making it worse at this point, Captain,"that low British accent commented archly against his ear while the speaker traced the curved metal with one of his slender fingers.

Hook felt his heart rate speed up at the intimacy of Peter pressing him flat against the alley wall and gripping his wrist. "You did well, though,"the boy continued to speak softly, lips ghosting over his jaw and making his breath stutter slightly, "And you know how much I like action,"

The pirate's lips twitched faintly at the familiar sentiment;he definitely knew all too well how much Peter ''liked action''. "How did your boys do?"he questioned curiously, twisting his head to the side so that he could look into Peter's dark, swirling eyes.

His companion made a low noise at the back of his throat. "They got their message across,"he replied with what was obviously relish, eyes gleaming in the dimly lit alley, "The Saviour and what's left of her family know the stakes. This is the final stage of my game-and it's all or nothing this time,"

The immortal paused in his speech,shifting his position so that their chests were touching and they were face-to-face. "And, in exchange for you carrying out this final task, I've brought you a little gift, Captain,"he added smilingly, almost as an afterthought.

Hook raised his thick brown eyebrows at that. "And what might that be?"he quipped mildly, actually genuinely interested in what the boy would consider a "gift".

Peter gave a quiet, sinister chuckle, pulling back a bit so that he could see the pirate's face better. "Come and see,"he replied evasively, showing his sharp, pointed teeth as he offered Hook his hand.

The pirate took it and the two of them dematerialized, reappearing on Storybrooke's docks, where Killian found himself looking at a very familiar ship. "I thought you might like it a little better than a motel full of people who want you dead,"Peter stated from behind him, amused by Hook's sharp intake of breath.

Hook couldn't help but smile. It wasn't like he was surprised that the immortal had the power to bring his ship here;it was just the fact that he had done so at all. He would have thought that Peter would want him to remain where he was, in the center of things;but then, if there was one thing he knew about the demon, it was that he could be as unpredictable as the weather when he wanted to be.

He turned around to face the boy again, a single corner of his mouth lifting contentedly. "So what's this task you want me to do, then?"he queried, feeling a vague sense of anticlimax at wondering what sort of job would merit this kind of reward.

He didn't flinch when Peter's slender fingers curled around the cleft of his chin and he saw the malice burning in those sea-green orbs. "I want you to bring me the Saviour,"the demon declared ominously,watching Hook for his reaction, "Bring her to the well;Henry will kill her and then, this town will be ours,"

By way of an answer, Hook closed the distance between them and pressed their lips together, eliciting a satisfied hum from the other male. He had no qualms about following those orders;Emma meant nothing to him anymore-and Peter meant everything.

* * *

This was his first real kill;his first test of becoming a Lost Boy. He'd killed animals before;but that had been for survival.This, on the other hand, was murder, plain and simple. And he was tasked with killing someone whose name was, for some reason, strangely familiar.

Henry stood outside the office of Dr.Hopper, watching the psychiatrist sitting at his desk and poring through his files. He couldn't shake the feeling that he shouldn't be doing this;he'd been feeling it ever since Pan had given the order. But he had to do it because Peter had commanded him to-and disobeying him meant death.

He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes to calm himself and pushing down all of his unprecedented misgivings. He was a Lost Boy-and he was going to do this, no matter what his damned conscience was trying to tell him.

Letting out his breath, he opened his eyes and blurred out of sight, materializing inside the office, hood half-shielding his face from view. "Hello, Archie,"his quiet, youthful voice punctuated the air, causing the doctor to jump in shock.

"Henry?"Archie gasped in disbelief, dropping the files he had been holding and squinting to make sure that he wasn't seeing things. Henry no longer looked like the sweet, innocent boy he had treated for so many years;no, now he looked more like a killer.

The doctor got to his feet slowly, taking off his wire-rimmed glasses for a brief moment to rub his eyes before replacing them on his face. "Henry, what's happened to you?You don't...look like yourself,"he said hesitantly, flattening one of his palms on top of his desk while he debated whether or not to try and approach the brown-haired boy.

Henry crossed his wiry arms over his small, lean chest in a position of misleading nonchalance. "I'm not here for a psychoanalysis, _doctor_ ,"he sneered the man's title in a withering tone, hazel eyes darkening disdainfully.

Archie's white forehead creased in a frown at the utter lack of emotion in the brunette's tone. Something was definitely not right with him;something had severely changed in him because he was _not_ this person.

"Then what are you here for, Henry?"he pressed warily, the barest trace of unease creeping into his normally calm voice. He prided himself on being able to read people-and he really didn't like the look in Henry's previously soft brown eyes. And he definitely didn't like the malevolent smile that was beginning to twist Henry's full lips.

He was suddenly directly in front of Archie, leaning close until their noses were almost touching before uttering five words that sent chills rattling down the psychiatrist's spine:

"I'm here to kill you."

Archie choked when he felt a white-hot pain in his middle and he looked down to see a knife sticking out of his stomach. "Henry, wh-?"he cut off with a whimper as Henry wrenched the knife out without any consideration.

Blood gushed out of the wound and he slumped onto the carpet, hemorrhaging violently while the Lost Boy watched with bland, insipid eyes. "Goodbye, Dr. Hopper,"he said remorselessly, wiping his dagger off on his brown cloak before departing.

* * *

Regina unlocked the door to her office, a heavy weight on her shoulders. She was _not_ having a good day;people were turning up dead all over the town and, as far she could tell the murderers were people she knew all too well.

As she closed the door behind her, she reached over to the light switch and flicked it up-but no light came on. A frown wrinkled the Mayor's forehead;that was strange. She grasped the switch, turning it off and then on again, but still the lights wouldn't turn on.

It wasn't until after she'd repeated the same action a few times that she noticed she wasn't alone in her office.

"Hello, Regina."

The Mayor froze at the sound of that familiar high-pitched, breathy voice. No, there was no way _she_ could be here, not now-not when Regina already had one dark sorceress on her back.

Slowly, and with an immense sense of trepidation, she turned her head in the direction of the voice and failed to suppress a sharp intake of breath when she saw the speaker.

"You,"Regina stated uneasily, trying-and failing-to keep the slight tremble out of her usually perfectly composed voice. She honestly hadn't expected this;she'd never thought she would see this woman again after the last curse.

Candles appeared along the white walls, blazing bright acid green flames that cast an unearthly glow all around the room and threw both residents' features into sharp relief.

"Me,"Maleficent retorted calmly with a crooked smile twisting her glossy pink lips as she reclined back in the black armchair at the opposite end of the office. She brushed a lock of her sleek blonde hair, slinging one of her legs over the other before speaking again, "How are you, dear?You don't look well at all,"

Regina stared at her with unfocused eyes, unable to believe what she was seeing. She hadn't thought the blonde sorceress would have ever set foot in this town again, least of all of her own free will and volition-and yet, here she was. Whatever reason she had for returning, it couldn't be good.

"How are you here?"she asked in as authoritative a voice as she could muster, crossing her arms over her chest and trying to maintain an air of control. Her companion, though, saw right through it, giving a little mocking laugh at the former Queen's forced calm.

"I don't think that that's really what you should be worried about, dear,"she replied as if she were dealing with a very slow child, "I think you should be more concerned with the ''why'',"

The brunette rolled her eyes expressively. "All right, fine. _Why_ are you here?"she relented, amending her question irritably and leaning back against her office door.

Maleficent's smile morphed into a cold sneer that sent a chill running down Regina's spine. "You trapped me here for twenty-eight years, forcing me to constantly change forms against my will,"she hissed venomously, eyes like twin chips of ice beneath her straw-coloured lashes. "Do you know how painful involuntary shapeshifting is?It breaks _every_ bone in your body and contorts your muscles into positions that _human_ bodies are definitely not supposed to be able to make,"

She rose to her feet and, with every word she spoke, took a step closer to the former Queen, stare growing steadily darker and darker. Her ice-blue eyes locked on Regina's bronze ones once they were nearly nose-to-nose, aflame with pure malice.

"Now, I'm not allowed to do the _exactly_ the same to you, but I can imprison you here, thanks to Pan's magic,"the sorceress's sneer widened, "All I have to do in exchange is fulfill a simple request of his."

Her former friend flattened herself against the door, alarmed at the vitriol in the blonde's tone. "And what might that be?"she quipped softly, doing her best to hide the fact that she was actually scared. She recognized the threat in Maleficent's words-and she didn't like them one bit.

Maleficent snapped her fingers and green vines sprung out of the air, coiling heavily around the mayor's short, shapely form and completely restricting her movements. The brunette fought valiantly;her magic was much stronger than the latter's, but something was making her resistance impossible-and futile.

"What are you doing to me?"she choked out as one of the vines wrapped tightly around her throat, cutting off her air supply. The blonde simply continued to grin.

"Why, I'm taking you to see your son, of course,"she replied-and those were the last words Regina heard before everything went black.

* * *

Emma watched with muted horror as a medical team carried away the mangled corpse of on a long white stretcher. She'd never really liked the guy, to be honest, but that didn't mean she'd ever wanted to see him murdered or, judging by the condition of his body, tortured. He wasn't the only one, either;the Lost Boys were here and they'd killed several others, including Archie, as David had found out a couple of minutes ago.

She knew something was very wrong here. People were being killed left and right, Pan and his army were obviously back in town and Regina wasn't picking up her phone so she had no way of warning her about Henry or Hook or any of it. Everything was falling into chaos-and she didn't know how to fix it.

Neal came over to stand by her side, laying a hand on her shoulder tentatively. He took it as a good sign that she didn't immediately throw it off. "This has to be all Pan's doing,"he told her in a low, tense voice, as if she didn't already know. "He's gearing up for his final method of punishing us for breaking his rules,"

The Saviour grimaced. She knew what Neal was saying was true, but she didn't want to believe it. And she didn't even want to think about what it meant if Pan was having his Lost Ones commit all of these murders.

"Regina's not answering any of my calls or texts,"Emma said in a similar tone to his, holding her cell phone in a vaguely trembling hand and tapping it against her chin, "We should go over there and make sure that she's okay,"

"I'm afraid that I can't let you do that, love,"a familiar Irish brogue interrupted Neal's response before he could even open his mouth.

Emma whipped around just in time to see Hook and three Lost Boys appear in a tight ring surrounding her and the Dark One's son. She hardly recognized the pirate, though, and it wasn't just because that there was now a long, brown velvet cloak covering him from the shoulders down so she couldn't see what he was wearing underneath. No, it was the cold, ruthless expression that now graced his tawny features;she'd never before seen him look so...deadly.

It was to him that she directed her next words whilst doing her best to keep the fear out of her voice. "What are you talking about?"she shot at him fiercely, putting on a brave face to conceal the fact that, inside, she was reeling.

The pirate's steel-blue eyes locked on hers and she had to force herself not to flinch at the complete and utter lack of warmth or mercy in gaze. "I'm afraid the former Queen is a bit preoccupied right now,"he replied cryptically, apparently unmoved by the fact that he was currently in the center of a murder scene, "She has a visitor, so she's a bit indisposed. And you're about to be as well;these boys and I have some unfinished business with you, _Saviour_ ,"

"And what business is that?"Neal cut in boldly, stepping between Hook and Emma and staring the pirate down. "Neal-"Emma tried to deter him, but he held up a hand to forestall her. "Emma, I got this,"he assured her firmly, turning back to face the pirate and crossing his arms over his broad chest.

Hook smiled and shook his head disparagingly as if Neal were a stupid child. "I'm only here for Emma, Baelfire. Don't risk yourself for a woman who will never admit to feeling the same way about you as you do her. Don't put your life in any more danger than it needs to be,"he advised him in a bored tone, appearing supremely unconcerned.

Neal refused to budge, though, digging his heels in and setting his jaw. "Killian, man, I know that this isn't you-but if you really want Emma, then you're going to have to go through me first,"he stated stubbornly, uncrossing his arms to work himself into a fighting stance, daring any of the Lost Boys to come at him.

Hook's grin widened, his lips pulling back to reveal his sharp, canine teeth. "That's where you're wrong, Bae;this is very much me,"he corrected maliciously. He snapped his gloved fingers and gestured at his cloaked companions, "We're taking him as well,"

The Lost Ones sprung into action at his command, converging on the Saviour and the Dark One's son and making to seize them. Both of them put up a fight, but neither Neal's punches nor even Emma's bullets seemed to affect them-and things only got more difficult when Hook decided to enter the fray, heading straight for Emma.

"Why are you doing this, Hook?"the blonde questioned him desperately as he bore down on her, genuinely confused by his motives, "I thought you wanted to win my heart. I thought you were turning into a hero,"

She jolted when he reappeared behind her, wrapping an arm around her neck and pressing a black cloth over her mouth;the instant he did so, she began to feel faint, recognizing the hint of magic on it. She began to struggle against his hold,, straining to resist the spell.

"Emma!"Neal shouted in alarm. Turning away from the boys he was fighting to try and get to her, but the second he turned his back, one of the boys delivered a stunning blow to the back of his head with his weapon, sending him crashing to the ground. Emma fought even harder as she watched him slip into unconsciousness, but her strength was rapidly deteriorating thanks to whatever poison was on that cloth and Hook held her fast.

She froze when she felt Hook's lips at her ear as her vision began to go dark. "I was never going to turn into a hero, love-not for you or for anyone else,"he declared in a whisper, breath heavy with the force of his words, "I'm a pirate and I always will be."

Emma just barely heard that last part before the poison took over and she was pulled into the welcoming arms of oblivion.


	20. Chapter 20

There was a wide smile on Peter's pink lips when his pirate dropped the Saviour's limp, unconscious body to the ground at his feet. His brows lifted as Hook's steel-blue eyes met his sea-glass ones. "I'm impressed, Killian-you completed that task even faster than I expected,"the teen praised him softly, leaning his hip against the stone well next to him with his thumbs hooked in his belt.

He noted the carelessness with which the pirate pushed aside Emma's body to come join him by the well. "So she's the last piece, then?We have everything else we need for this curse of yours?"Hook quipped mildly, tugging absently at the clasp of his brown velvet cloak.

Peter inclined his head in an affirmative as he withdrew a small glass vial half-filled with dark red liquid from inside his tunic. "We do. And once Henry kills the Saviour, then my victory will be absolute;after I enact this curse, there is nothing that can stop it,"he declared triumphantly, Stygian eyes gleaming a virulent shade of acid green in the twilight gloom. He flicked his slender fingers at the Lost Boys behind Hook to take Emma and Neal away before speaking again.

"I see you brought some extraneous cargo as well,"he observed impassively as he dropped the glass bottle into the well, where the water emitted a faint hiss. He didn't sound annoyed or angry, so Hook figured he didn't have to be cautious about how he responded. "He got in my way, so I thought he deserved the punishment of seeing his son kill the love of his life,"the pirate shrugged offhandedly as if they were merely discussing the weather.

The demon boy made a low noise of amusement at the back of his throat. "Like I said, I'm impressed, Killian,"he repeated his earlier comment, this time in a more suggestive tone as he twisted his body around to face Hook again and gripped the front of his black silk scarf.

Hook couldn't look away from Peter's simmering bright emerald orbs as the boy pulled him close, lips whispering against the pirate's and making his heart race. "I've always liked you best like this, you know,"Peter murmured with satisfaction, fingers tracing the material around Hook's neck, "The strong, ruthless side of you has always been my favourite.I always knew how great you could be;you just had to see it, too, Killian,"

The pirate closed what little distance remained between them before he could say anything else, slotting their mouths together as he slid his good hand into Peter's tawny locks. He felt as well as heard the immortal's husky chuckle as he seized Hook's hair and tugged on it just hard enough to make the pirate open his mouth so he could slip his tongue inside.

Hook surrendered willingly, sucking on Peter's tongue and letting himself be pulled until there was literally not even an inch of space between their bodies. This should not have felt so good-but it did. He was so far gone now, so completely in Pan's thrall that he couldn't turn back, even if he wanted to-which he didn't.

Peter's nails scraped against his scalp and the boy smirked into their kiss. There was something extremely exhilirating to him at having the pirate's breath in his mouth, having Killian so completely in his control. Making Hook his had always been one of his main goals from the first moment they'd met-now that he'd accomplished it, well, there wasn't exactly a word to describe his vindication.

When they finally broke apart, Hook was breathing heavily and he rested his forehead against Peter's for a moment while he tried to get air back into his lungs. He smiled when Peter brushed a thumb over his swollen lips. "This is how you were always meant to be, love,"the boy finished his thought in a whisper, kissing the corner of his mouth.

The sound of a throat clearing caused them to pull away from each other in time to see the Black Fairy coalesce into view next to them, expression unreadable behind her winged obsidian mask. "I brought you the other ingredients,"she told Pan, not commenting on what she'd just walked in on.

Peter held out one of his hands expectantly, still with the other curled into Hook's scarf. "Good,"he stated once she'd handed them to him wordlessly, dropping them over his shoulder into the well just as he had the vial of Regina's blood. He met Tamesis's dark coals with a bright Cheshire-cat grin, "Let's finish this, shall we?"

* * *

Regina opened her eyes to find herself lying on the cold, hard ground next to a very familiar pale-faced blonde. "Emma?"she said confusedly, sitting up and tugging leaves out of her hair as she scanned her surroundings.

She'd never been in this part of Storybrooke before;she appeared to be in the middle of the woods, but she didn't recognize anything that she was seeing-not the black, gnarled trees, nor the decaying, ash-grey dirt. Not even the sky overhead was the same:a patch of large, daunting clouds stuck out like a sore thumb among the baby blue backdrop.

A frown wrinkled her forehead, It was almost like this part of the woods had just...appeared out of nowhere.

"That's because it did,"a chillingly familiar voice stated as if it had read her mind. The Queen whipped around, almost breaking her neck in her haste to locate the speaker.

"Henry?"she gasped in disbelief when her eyes fell on the small, brown-cloaked boy standing guard against one of the twisted, charcoal-coloured trees. She peered warily under the boy's hood, praying that she was wrong and this was just a Lost One who sounded like her son.

Her hopes were dashed, unfortunately, when the hood was pushed back and she saw his face. There was no denying that that was her son's face.

"Hey, mom,"Henry greeted her in a mockingly amiable tone that didn't quite reach his dark, emotionless bronze orbs. His mouth curved in a crooked smile at the mixed shock and horror on his adopted mother's face, "You don't look happy to see me,"

The mayor stared at him, eyes wide. "No, you-you can't be a-"she couldn't even bring herself to say it. She'd known that it was Pan's plan to turn Henry into a Lost Boy, but she'd never thought he'd actually succeed. Unfortunately, it looked as though he had.

"Obviously, I can-and I am,"the brunette said flatly, apparently unmoved by Regina's clear distress. He tapped his bronze sword nonchalantly on the ground, "I've found my _true_ family,"

Next to Regina, Emma began to stir so whatever the former queen had been about to say was interrupted by the sound of her regaining consciousness. "What?Where am I?"the blonde exclaimed in befuddlement as hey eyes flicked frantically over the dark woods.

"Welcome to your final resting place, Emma,"Henry declared vindictively by way of a response, drawing his real mother's attention to him and causing her jaw to drop in horror. "No,"Emma whispered, looking desperately back and forth between him and Regina as if she were waiting for them to tell her that this was all some sick joke.

When neither did so, however, she returned her gaze to Henry, a pleading look on her ivory features. "Henry, look,"she attempted to reason with him patiently, taking a deep breath, "I know you're angry with me for leaving you in New York, but you know I only wanted to protect you. I was thinking about your safety, because that's what a mother is supposed to do-and I am your mother-" "No,"Henry cut her off, "I don't have a mother. _Pan_ is my family now. Pan and the Lost Boys, they're the only family I need,"

Neither Regina nor Emma knew what to say to that. The Saviour opened and closed her mouth, struck dumb by the vehemence with which Henry spoke those word. She'd expected any number of arguments against her explanation, but she hadn't expected a complete dismissal.

She searched Henry's once sweet, innocent face for any trace of dishonesty or humour, but she found only cold certainty. He'd meant what he'd said, she realized;he really did consider Pan and the Lost Boys his real family now.

Her aquamarine orbs sought out Regina to see how she was taking this;the former queen didn't appear to be handling it any better than she was, though. "Henry, _we_ are your family,"the dark-haired woman insisted firmly, unwilling to believe what she was hearing. Henry couldn't just be gone;he couldn't have just turned into one of Pan's minions without there being some way of bringing him back.

The brunette hardly even acknowledged her sentiment. Instead, he ticked his head to the side as if listening to something before addressing Emma again, "I hope you've made your peace with your maker, Emma, because you'll be meeting him tonight,"

When he said those words, and Emma looked into his eyes, she saw nothing;no concern, no remorse, no love-no emotion whatsoever. And then, he turned around and walked away without so much as a backward glance.

* * *

Neal was dragged bodily out of the clearing by the well to the far corner of the woods where his father just happened to be waiting for further instructions from Pan. "Bae?"he said upon catching sight of his son, stepping forward in alarm. He jabbed a finger at the unconscious man between Felix and Avery. "What is he doing here?"

The tallest of the Lost Boys flanking his son dropped him carelessly to the ground, a sneer forming on his thin lips as he responded. "He made the mistake of getting in the pirate's way,"Felix answered coldly, expression unreadable beneath his large black hood. He gestured to the other boy to back off, "Pan thought you might enjoy a family reunion, so _you_ get to guard him,"

Knowing that he didn't really have a choice, Rumplestiltskin watched as Felix and the other Lost One departed, leaving him alone with his son. Exhaling heavily, he closed his eyes to try and compose himself;there was no way that this was going to end well. Whatever Pan's intentions were in making him guard his son, they couldn't be good.

It was just as he opened his eyes again that his son began to regain consciousness. Neal's eyelids fluttered rapidly as he sat up, and swiveled his head around to try and get his beatings. His motions all stopped, though, when he laid eyes on his father.

"Papa?"the brown-haired man said groggily, rubbing the lump on the back of his head. His dark eyes searched the dimly lit terrain warily, assessing the familiar surroundings for any other threats. "What are you doing here? Why am I here?"

Rumplestiltskin heaved a dark sigh. He'd never wanted to face this situation;he didn't want to have to to choose between Pan and his son. The choice was an illusion, anyways. Pan had his dagger;he'd forced him to kill Belle, he could command him to kill Baelfire, too.

"Pan is enacting his curse now-and he's making sure that anyone who can stop him won't,"he explained in a flat, lifeless tone that did well to hide his true feelings on the matter-not that he could reveal them even if he wanted to.

A frown of consternation wrinkled the other's tawny forehead at the lack of emotion in his father's voice. Something was very off here, and not just with his words."What do you mean?He's already got Henry-what does he need with me and Emma?"Neal queried anxiously, getting to his feet.

The Dark One met his eyes evenly and Neal was startled by the utter lack of humanity-or recognition in his gaze. There was no more of his father in those eyes-there was only the monster.

"You, he has no business with-but Miss Swan, on the other hand,"his father paused in his answer, weighing his words carefully before finishing his explanation in a blunt tone, "He plans to kill her. With her death, his curse will come to pass-and there's not a thing that anyone can do to stop it,"

Neal's jaw dropped and he gaped at his father, torn between fear and revulsion. That couldn't happen:Emma couldn't die, Henry needed her- _he_ needed her. He loved her-he couldn't lose her again.

"Isn't there anything you can do?"he quipped desperately, wringing his hands. "Maybe if I could find a way to break Pan's control over you-" "You can't,"the Dark One interrupted him flatly before he could finish his thought. "He has my dagger. As long as he does, I have to do what he says, no matter how horrible. This isn't a curse, Baelfire;true love isn't going to be able to break it,"

"What if I got your dagger from him somehow?"Henry's father suggested was grasping at straws now, looking for any way out of this seemingly hopeless situation.

Rumpelstiltskin shook his head disparagingly. "Even if you did somehow manage that, it's much too late for that now. He's already begun his final play,"he stated ominously, making his son's entire body freeze.

That was it, then;the curse was going to happen. Emma was going to die. And Neal was going to lose not only his family, but his memories as well. He was doomed.

* * *

_The pieces are all assembled. The curse could finally begin._

The demon was in the middle of the street, examining the site where he had ''died''. In hindsight, probably not the most fun part of his plan, but it had still been the smartest. It had gotten him the Dark One dagger and isolated all of the heroes who had conspired against him.

He had accomplished everything he'd wanted from the beginning and all it had taken was faking his death. That hadn't always been part of the plan, but he'd had to make adjustments after the queen had taken Henry's heart from him. And the adjustments had turned out to be more fruitful than even he'd imagined;because he had more power now than even Henry's heart would have given him.

The Dark One's son, the Saviour and the Queen were all in his clutches and so unable to use their power or friends to stop him that his victory couldn't be more complete. He couldn't be stopped anymore than he could have been last time-after all, Peter Pan never failed.

His emerald orbs glimmered through rows of dark gold lashes. Success had never been sweeter than it was at this precise moment-and he knew exactly what he was going to do to celebrate.

The corners of his mouth twitched as he saw Hook approaching him from up the street. "Got tired of guarding the prisoners, Captain?"he quipped playfully, brows lifting as the pirate joined him, shedding the velvet hood of his cloak.

Hook grinned faintly at the suggestion in his tone. Peter knew exactly why he was here instead of where he had been while the curse was gaining momentum. He didn't need to act as guard, anyways;the Lost Boys were keeping track of the Saviour and the queen and the Dark One was riding herd on his son. And he'd much rather be here.

"I thought you might want someone to listen to your victory speech since Felix is otherwise occupied,"the pirate replied offhandedly, lifting one of his shoulders in a shrug. That was the truth;he was well aware of how much Peter loved a villain's penchant for monologuing at inappropriate times. Peter just liked to talk, really, and Hook, well, listening to the demon's silky, spellbinding voice was somewhat of a guilty pleasure for him.

The boy returned his grin, one of his dirty blonde brows arching up higher than the other in mild amusement. "You're out of luck, Killian;I'm saving my speech for the Saviour and her misguided allies,"he said smoothly. He paused, taking a step closer to the pirate and placing a foot in between his.

"I'm sure we'll find something else to do in the meantime, though,"he added in a softer tone, flattening one of his palms against the man's chest and looking up at him through lowered lashes. His eyes darkened when Hook's arm coiled around his waist, pulling him against the pirate's body.

"Would you be open to suggestions?"Hook asked huskily, bringing his face closer to the immortal's so their foreheads were touching. They were close enough that he felt as well as saw Peter's lips twitch a second time before he responded, "What did you have in mind, Captain?"

Killian wasted no further time with words and closed the distance between them, slanting his mouth over the other's and kissing him hungrily. Peter Pan was a walking, talking temptation;every time he talked, all Killian wanted to do was kiss him. It was those damn lips of his;the way they moved when he spoke, the subtle curve to them and the fact that they were just so damn _pink_. He found lots of things about Peter attractive, but he'd never expected lips to be so intoxicating.

He groaned when he felt slender fingers sliding into his hair and gripping the sleek dark strands at the nape of his neck. Peter took control, just as he always did, parting Hook's lips and invading his mouth, rendering the pirate completely helpless to fight him for dominance.

Peter let out a satisfied hum at his surrender, teleporting them into a nearby alley so that he could press Hook against one of the brick walls, caging him in so he had no way of escaping. He tightened his grasp on Hook's hair, yanking his head back so he could deepen their kiss, turning it rough and bruising without any protests from his partner.

Heavy puffs of air slipped out of Killian's mouth as Peter continued to devour it, the grip on his hair stopping just short of being painful and their proximity making it impossible for him to think straight. His mind just shut down and all he could do was feel, clutching Peter closer(if that was even possible)and sucking his tongue even further inside.

"Peter,"he panted the boy's name against his mouth, head spinning when Peter's knee shifted to rest on top of his groin, causing his mind to fall dangerously apart. He knew he was powerless to put a stop to this;he knew he was addicted to Peter. He truly was a demon and he'd invaded every single part of Killian's body;he was so far underneath Killian's skin that getting him out would be impossible.

That should have terrified or repulsed him, but they were past that now. Now, all that prospect did was make the pirate's body burn.

His good hand rose to Peter's shoulder as the blonde pulled away just long enough to let get a more adequate amount of air into his lungs. "This is _our_ victory, Killian, not just mine,"the immortal crooned into his neck, nuzzling him affectionately, "None of this could have happened without you. Any last regrets?"

Hook didn't even have to think about the answer to that one. "No,"he said sincerely, hissing when Peter's sharp teeth grazed his pulse point and nails sank into his scalp. He had no regrets. Peter winning was exactly what he'd wanted to happen;now it was and he couldn't be happier to have had a part in it.

Hot breath hit his skin and he shuddered slightly. "Good, because I think it's time to finally end this. And, after I make this town my new kingdom, you and I will rule it together,"he declared, relishing the pleased look that the pirate gave him as he said that. He meant it, too;he'd have Killian by his side when he took over Storybrooke and for the rest of eternity.

* * *

Clouds of fine green smoke were billowing out of the stone watering hole when Peter and Hook returned to complete the curse. The water inside seemed alive, writhing and glowing a vibrant, acidic shade to match the smoke.

Peter's lips twisted into a victorious sneer. "The curse is almost finished;all we need is the final ingredient,"he declared with obvious delight, eyes reflecting the same hue as the noxious smoke surrounding him. His sneer widened as he turned around. "And here she comes now,"he finished his announcement.

The pirate mimicked him, just in time to see Emma and the Evil Queen being escorted into the clearing, flanked by the Lost Boys and the Black Fairy. Graham and Maleficent did the same and the blonde sorceress grinned at the uncharacteristic fear on Regina's face;this was going to be good.

Emma stumbled in shock when she laid eyes on the magic wafting out of the shaft in the ground. She recognized that dark haze all too well:Pan's curse had begun.

"What have you done?"she gasped in abject terror, stopping in his tracks to gape at the immortal boy and his retinue. There were familiar faces there, faces of people she knew and cared about. Faces of people who had once been here allies, but had now become her enemies. Graham, Hook, not to mention her own son:not even her worst nightmare could be worse than this.

Seeming to take great pleasure in her misery, Killian was the one who answered. "I told you, Swan:since you were willing to let me sacrifice everything for you, I've helped Peter succeed in his quest to take everything away from you,"he said coldly, mouth contorted into a truly vicious grin, "Including your life,"

Next to him, the instigator of this whole thing let out a low, gratified chuckle at his words. "I couldn't have put it better myself, Killian,"Peter commended him, mirth shining in his bright emerald orbs as he addressed his opponent with what could only be described as a bestial expression,

He took a step toward Emma, amusement growing when she instinctively took a step back from him. "You've disappointed me, Saviour,"the demon commented mockingly, shaking his head with unconcealed disdain and crossing his arms over his lean, muscled chest, "I thought you would make a fitting opponent, considering all of the stories surrounding you and your triumph against the Evil Queen-but I'm beginning to think that they were greatly exaggerated,"

He waved a dismissive hand at her. "You couldn't stop me from taking your son's heart and turning him against you, or from stealing the man you couldn't admit to loving, or even from killing your mother,"the eternal boy continued to speak, each word dealing another blow to Emma's ego and making her wince-because he was completely right. She hadn't been able to keep him from doing any of those things-and now, she wasn't even going to be able to stop him from killing her.

She fought down her grief and pain and forced herself to stay composed while Pan finished. "Now here we are, at the end of the game and all you're going to be is the sacrifice that completes the curse." The blonde boy uncrossed his arms to flick two of his thin fingers at the brown-cloaked Lost Boy on his left, "You know what to do, Henry,"

The brunette inclined his head in silent acquiescence and the Saviour was alarmed at the lack of hesitation in him when he moved to seize her. "Henry, no, listen to me,"she attempted to plead with him one final time as he approached her, holding her palms up in a placating gesture. She knew what Pan wanted him to do as well-and she had to stop him before the demon completely destroyed his soul.

"I don't know what spell Pan's put on you, but you can fight it,"Henry's mother intoned desperately, fighting to maintain her composure and not give in to her fear that Henry might actually kill her. "I'm your mother, Henry, and I love you. You can't really want to kill me."

Though all of her attention was focused on her son, out of the corner of her eye she saw the eternal boy shake his head a second time. "You're wasting your breath, Saviour,"he told her bluntly, brows lifting in what seemed sickeningly like glee at her predicament, "I told you once before that Henry hadn't forgiven you for giving him up as a baby-and now I've made sure that he never forgives you for leaving him while you went to go rescue your parents. _I_ am Henry's only family now and he will do whatever I tell him to,"

As if merely to prove his point, Peter looked away from her and called out to his servant, "Do it now, Henry. Kill the Saviour and make me proud,"

Emma watched in dismay as her son obeyed the demon's command and teleported behind her, shoving her toward the well. "Sorry, _mom_ , but I do,"Henry spat at her vindictively, drawing his bronze short sword from beneath his patched cloak and pressing the tip against her back, "Pan told me I had to kill you in order for him to win, so that's exactly what I'm going to do,"

"Henry!"his father's voice suddenly shouted out from behind him, but he didn't turn around, pretending not to hear. He couldn't disobey Pan now:this was his job and he would do it without error, just as he always had done.

Neal couldn't believe what he was seeing:he felt like he was in a nightmare. Henry was pointing a sword at Emma;he was pointing a sword at his own mother and he was clearly going to kill her. Never in a million years could he ever have imagined anything more horrible than this.

"Henry, don't do it!"he cried out valiantly, but Henry still didn't acknowledge him. Pan, on the other hand, shot him a quelling glance and rounded on the Dark One. "Control your son, Rumple-unless you'd rather I killed him as well?"he said imperiously, quirking his left brow in an evident threat.

Neal was suddenly unable to move and Peter grinned. "Good boy. Now, Henry."he turned back to his Lost Boy, "Finish it,"

Before anyone could make any more protestations, the brown-haired boy grasped the pommel of his sword and drove the point right through the Saviour's back until it protruded out of her chest.

Emma felt her breath leave her in a rush when she saw the sword point sticking out of her chest. Tears sprang to her eyes as blood trickled out of the corner of her mouth and she was hit with the full impact of what had just happened as she descended into oblivion:her son, the person she loved more than anyone, had murdered her. She was dead-and Henry had killed her.

The last sound she head before she tumbled into the crackling sea inside the stone well was Neal calling her name. She wanted to answer him, to tell him goodbye, but she didn't even have enough strength left for that. She heard his despair-and then, she heard nothing more.

**captainpancaptainpancaptainpancaptainpancaptainpancaptainpancaptainpancaptainpancaptainpancaptainpancaptainpancaptainpancaptainpancaptainpan**

Henry pushed Emma over the ledge into the water just as she expelled her last breath;the second her body hit the radioactive liquid, there was a sycophantic eruption and the fumes began to spiral out of the well's opening, permeating the air and rolling out of the clearing to the rest of the town.

The leader of the Lost Boys gave him a nod of congratulations and watched with satisfaction as the fine green smoke consumed the mythical town, filling his lungs and fogging the inhabitants' brains. It took away their memories, their magic if they had any and everything else that made them who they were. They were just mortals now;powerless, hopeless mortals who Pan could do with whatever he pleased.

There was no denying the joy and triumph he felt at watching Storybrooke go up in smoke, along with all of his former enemies. He'd done it-he'd defeated the Saviour and now, he had everything he wanted. Including something he'd never expected as well.

His lips curved in a slight smile when he felt fingers entwining with his own at his side. "You've won, love-just as I knew you would,"Hook commented softly, squeezing his hand;Peter found himself surprised at the lack of disgust he felt at the affectionate gesture.

He had won. He had his pirate, the Truest Believer and a new kingdom to rule over. This was his town now-and no one could challenge him ever again.

" _Peter Pan never fails. He can't be stopped;even when they think he's defeated,when they think they've won, he finds a way."_

END


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